Helene’s Horrifying Death Toll Soars As Searches For The Missing Continue

Nearly a week after Hurricane Helene devastated the Southeast, the death toll approaches 200 as the search for missing individuals intensifies and power outages continue across the region.

The Category 4 hurricane reached maximum sustained winds of 140 mph and made landfall late Thursday at the meeting point of Florida’s Panhandle and peninsula, a rural region filled with fishing villages and vacation hideaways.

Officials have reported 202 deaths across six states due to the storm, according to NBC News.

The death toll includes at least 98 victims in North Carolina, 19 in Florida, 33 in Georgia, 39 in South Carolina, 11 in Tennessee and two in Virginia.

Georgia officials announced eight additional deaths on Thursday, while western Florida authorities reported one more death.

North Carolina’s governor, Roy Cooper, predicted the toll would rise as rescuers and other emergency workers reached areas isolated by collapsed roads, failing infrastructure and widespread flooding.

The Weather Channel reported Helene became the strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region, causing damage across an area spanning 400 miles.

Helene is the most significant hurricane since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Hurricane Katrina, which struck the Gulf Coast of the United States in August 2005, resulted in at least 1,800 confirmed deaths. The storm caused widespread devastation, particularly in New Orleans, Louisiana, where levee breaches led to catastrophic flooding.

Aftermath of Hurricane Helene

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the number of power outages has reached staggering levels across the Southeast, according to PowerOutage.us.

South Carolina leads the region with 375,385 outages, followed closely by North Carolina with 292,599. Georgia reports 268,047 outages, while Virginia and Florida have 24,755 and 18,067, respectively. The widespread outages highlight the storm’s significant impact on infrastructure and the challenges facing recovery efforts.

Officials have declared North Carolina, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia, and Alabama as disaster zones.

President Joe Biden mobilized 1,000 active-duty soldiers on Wednesday across all affected states to assist with response efforts, including transporting people over damaged terrain, providing fuel and water, and supporting the troops on the ground activated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to deliver aid.

In North Carolina, 700 National Guard members are working on the ground to remove debris, provide airlifts, and conduct search and rescue operations.

“As emergency responders continue search and rescue operations in Western North Carolina, local, state, federal, private, and nonprofit partners work in concert to provide food, water, shelter, and other basic necessities for people in need,” Cooper said.

Florida is now facing the threat of a possible new tropical storm or hurricane.

“We are not expecting any sort of repeat from Helene in the southern Appalachians with this next tropical threat,” said AccuWeather flood expert Alex Sosnowski in a media advisory. “However, Florida needs to be on alert for more heavy rainfall and river flooding next week.”

The forecast indicates the areas hardest hit by Helene will remain dry before the new storm arrives. This should significantly aid the cleanup efforts after the storm, which caused over $100 billion in damage and economic losses.

Hurricane Season

Helene became the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began on June 1. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-average season this year due to record-warm ocean temperatures.

The National Hurricane Center warned a tropical depression in the eastern Atlantic could develop into a “formidable hurricane” later this week. The hurricane season officially ends on Nov. 30.

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