Hurricane Helene Brings ‘Biblical Devastation’ to Southeast
At least 119 people were killed after Hurricane Helene swept across the southeastern United States this weekend. From Florida to Virginia, several towns have been devastated and some remain submerged in floodwater.
Helene hit Florida’s coast as a Category 4 hurricane Thursday night, then downgraded to a tropical storm as it blanketed Florida, Georgia, Alabama, the Carolinas, Tennessee and Virginia.
- Over 2 million people are without power.
- Cell phone towers across the region are down.
- Homes, roads and bridges have washed away.
- Hundreds of people are still missing.
Many are believed to be trapped in remote locations due to highways, bridges and other roadways being flooded or destroyed.
‘Biblical devastation’: The Carolinas have probably been hit the hardest. On Sunday evening, officials from North Carolina said 30 people had been killed and over 1,000 were missing in Buncombe County alone.
“We have biblical devastation,” said Ryan Cole, an emergency official from the county. “This is the most significant natural disaster that any one of us has ever seen.”
The U.S. government, along with search and rescue teams from 19 states, are responding to hundreds of rescue calls.
Death toll: Along with the 30 from Buncombe County, another 12 people died in other parts of North Carolina. The death toll in other states is:
- Florida: 11
- Georgia: 17
- South Carolina: 25
- Tennessee: 4
- Virginia: 2
Officials believe the death toll will rise as waters subside and more bodies are recovered in the coming days.
Hurricane Helene is one of the biggest storm systems on record to have hit Florida’s Big Bend region. To learn why such devastating disasters happen, request a free copy of our booklet Why ‘Natural’ Disasters?
