Devastating Flooding and Power Outages Sweep the Southeast After Hurricane Helene

Floodwaters poured through the Southeast and southern Appalachians, leaving at least 25 people dead in five states, and millions without electricity as of Friday. The storm, now a tropical storm, made landfall as a powerful Category 4 hurricane in Florida's Big Bend region one day earlier, causing widespread destruction and historic flooding in the North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains and surrounding areas.

Key Takeaways:

• At least 25 people have died in five states due to Hurricane Helene, with the hardest hit areas receiving 1,000-year rainstorms or rainfall totals with a 0.1 percent chance of happening in a given year.
• Dozens of locations in the region received 1 to 2 feet of rain, with rainfall totals reaching 10 to 15 inches over a widespread zone from Atlanta and Augusta, Ga., to southwest Virginia.
• Helene has become the wettest storm in history for several cities with weather records dating back to the mid- to late 1800s, including Asheville and Atlanta, which posted their wettest two periods.
• Over 50 patients and staff were stuck on the roof of a hospital in Tennessee as the hospital was engulfed by quickly rising floodwaters, prompting a dangerous rescue operation.
• Long stretches of Interstate 40 through the Great Smoky Mountains and around Asheville, N.C., were closed due to mudslides, affecting travel between the two states.
• At least 11 people were killed in central Georgia, with two people dying in Laurens County and two in Wheeler County overnight.
• More than 4 million customers were without electricity as of midday Friday, with the majority of outages in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Florida.

Statistics:

• At least 25 people have died in five states.
• Over 50 patients and staff were stuck on the roof of a hospital in Tennessee.
• Long stretches of Interstate 40 through the Great Smoky Mountains and around Asheville, N.C., were closed due to mudslides.
• At least 11 people were killed in central Georgia.
• More than 4 million customers were without electricity as of midday Friday.
• 1-2 feet of rain was received in dozens of locations in the region.
• Rainfall totals reached 10-15 inches over a widespread zone from Atlanta and Augusta, Ga., to southwest Virginia.

Sources:

• Washington Post article published on September 27, 2024.