Hélène sowed desolation and death in her wake. Millions of Americans are still without electricity on Saturday after the passage of this hurricane in the southeast of the United States, which left at least 53 dead.
Rescue teams are working to restore power and deal with the consequences of massive flooding which has destroyed homes, roads and businesses across several states. At least 22 people died in South Carolina, 17 in Georgia, 11 in Florida, two in North Carolina and one in Virginia, according to a report compiled from statements by local authorities.
Biden “deeply saddened”
“I am deeply saddened by the loss of life and devastation caused by Hurricane Helene,” US President Joe Biden said on Saturday. “The road to recovery will be long,” he added.
On Cedar Key, an island of a few hundred inhabitants on the west coast of Florida, the roofs of houses were torn off and the walls gutted. “It breaks my heart to see this,” lamented Gabe Doty, a municipal employee. “Many houses have disappeared, the market has disappeared. The post office has disappeared. This is a true tragedy, and it will be difficult to rebuild. »
Hélène made landfall in northwest Florida on Thursday evening as a category 4 hurricane on a scale of 5, with winds blowing at 225 km/h. The storm continued its path through several American states, causing torrential rains before gradually weakening.
The storm left behind large areas destroyed by landslides and intense flooding, as far as Asheville, North Carolina. “This is one of the worst storms in modern history for parts of western North Carolina,” state Governor Roy Cooper said at a press conference Friday. evening. Emergency services are continuing their rescue operations, his office said.
Climate change singled out
More than a million customers were still without power Saturday afternoon in South Carolina as well as 730,000 in Georgia, and several hundred thousand more across several states, according to the monitoring site poweroutage.
After forming in the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Helene moved over particularly warm waters. “It is likely that these very warm waters played a role in the rapid intensification of Helene,” underlines climatologist Andra Garner. By warming sea waters, climate change makes rapid intensification of storms more likely and increases the risk of more powerful hurricanes, scientists say.
