Hurricane Helene: As Florida recovers, North Carolina tastes the storm

Authorities flew supplies to the city of Asheville, North Carolina, which was flooded by Hurricane Helene. Attempts were also made to re-establish communications there and to free up the roads. The storm spent the last few days on the coast of Florida. On Sunday, residents of the “Sunny State” gathered in the rubble to celebrate mass.

Massive rains from powerful Storm Helene left people stranded, homeless and awaiting rescue across the southeastern United States. Cleanup continued Sunday after a storm that killed at least 64 people, caused widespread destruction and left millions without power.

As the sun rose on Big Bend, In Florida, after Hurricane Helene hit the area, many places of worship were still dealing with power outages, damaged roofs and debris from the hurricane, all with a thought for the many faithful who are still suffering the ravages of the devastating storm.

More than 1,000 miles away in Texas, Jessica Drye Turner cried out for help for family members stranded on their roof in Asheville and surrounded by rising waters. They watch 18-wheelers and cars float around themMs. Turner wrote in an urgent message posted on Facebook on Friday.

In a follow-up message, which circulated widely on social media on Saturday, she sadly noted that help had not arrived in time to save her parents, both in their 70s, and her six-year-old nephew. The roof collapsed and the three drowned.

I cannot express in words the sadness, grief and devastation my sisters and I are going through nor imagine the pain that lies ahead.she wrote.

Helene the Devastator

Helene made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida as a Category 4 hurricane on a scale of 5 on Thursday evening with winds of 225 km/h.

From there, the storm quickly spread to Georgia, where Governor Brian Kemp said Saturday that there would be said a bomb had exploded after seeing from the air the destroyed houses and highways covered in debris. Weakened, Helene then flooded the Carolinas and Tennessee with torrential rains, causing streams and rivers to overflow while straining dams.

Western North Carolina was isolated due to landslides and flooding that forced the closure of many roads, including theInterstate 40. Hundreds of water rescues have taken place, the most spectacular being in rural Unicoi County in eastern Tennessee. Dozens of patients and staff there were picked up from a hospital roof by helicopter on Friday. Rescues continued the next day in Buncombe County, North Carolina, where part of Asheville was under water.

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The storm is expected to hover over the Tennessee Valley Saturday and Sunday, the National Hurricane Center.

It triggered the worst flooding in a century in North Carolina. The municipality of Spruce Pine received more than 0.6 meters of precipitation between Tuesday and Saturday.

HAS Big Bendin Florida, some lost almost everything they owned, emerging from the storm without even a pair of shoes. While places of worship were still plunged into darkness on Sunday morning, with 97% of households without electricity, some churches canceled planned services, while others, like the Faith Baptist Church in Perry, chose to worship outside.

Stagnant water and tree debris still cover the land of the Faith Baptist Church. The church called on parishioners to come and pray for the community in a message posted on social media.

Still no electricity or water, so toilets will not be available. We have chairs, you can also bring your own!

In Atlanta, 11 inches of rain fell in 48 hours. This was the heaviest rainfall the city has seen in two days since record keeping began in 1878.

President Joe Biden called Saturdayoverwhelming devastation caused by Helene and pledged to send aid to the affected areas. He also approved a state of disaster declaration for North Carolina, making federal funds available for those affected.

Deadly hurricane

With at least 25 deaths in South Carolina, Helene is the deadliest tropical cyclone for the state since Hurricane Hugo killed 35 people when it made landfall just north of Charleston in 1989. Deaths also been reported in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia.

The group Moody’s Analytics said it expected property damage of US$15 billion to US$26 billion. The preliminary estimate ofAccuWeather of the total economic losses and damage caused by Helene in the United States is between US$95 and US$110 billion.

Evacuations began before the storm hit and continued as lakes – including the one seen in the film Lascivious dance – overflowed the dams. Helicopters were used to rescue some people from flooded homes.

Among the 11 confirmed deaths in Florida were nine people who drowned in residences in a mandatory evacuation zone in Pinellas County, which borders the Gulf.

None of the victims were from Taylor County, where the storm made landfall. Helene’s arrival was near the mouth of the Aucilla River, about 30 kilometers northwest of where Hurricane Idalia struck last year with similar ferocity.

Taylor County is in the Big Bend and had been spared from hurricanes for years. However, after dealing with Idalia and two other storms in just over a year, the region is starting to resemble a hurricane highway.

It makes us aware of the reality of natural disasterssaid John Berg, 76, who lives in the small fishing town of Steinhatchee, a popular place to spend the weekend by the sea.

Climate change has exacerbated the conditions that allow these storms to develop. They intensify quickly in warmer waters and can sometimes take a few hours to develop into powerful cyclones.

Helene was the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began on 1^is June this year. There National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had predicted an above-average season due to record ocean temperatures.

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