Helene, which made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane and later weakened to a post-tropical cyclone, has devastated large areas of the southeastern United States. Authorities are working around the clock to rescue residents trapped in their homes after the storm left more than 200 people dead. 

President Joe Biden signed a disaster declaration for Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Alabama, as the storm flooded neighborhoods and left over four million homes and businesses without power. 

The power of Hurricane Helene

The hurricane, described by the National Hurricane Center as “potentially life-threatening,” brought winds of up to 140 mph (225 km/h) and torrential rain. Considered one of the strongest storms in the Gulf of Mexico this century, Helene placed more than 60 million people in 12 states under weather alerts. 

Air travel was heavily disrupted, with more than 700 flights canceled, especially at major airports in Charlotte, Atlanta, and Tampa. While Tallahassee was spared the storm’s worst impacts, Atlanta saw significant flooding, prompting dozens of rescues overnight. 

North Carolina issued a mandatory evacuation order amid fears of record river flooding and possible landslides. With widespread power outages, severe flooding, and mounting fatalities, Helene has once again highlighted the growing toll of extreme weather events across the United States.