Helene has created a lot of trouble across the southeastern U.S. It began in Florida & then moved through the Carolinas, reaching up to Tennessee. At first, it hit Florida as a powerful Category 4 hurricane with winds reaching 140 mph! Now, it’s become a postropical cyclone but still brings heavy rains. These downpours are causing major flooding in parts of North Carolina Tennessee, & even more places. People say its effects are some of the worst they’ve seen in recent times.
Widespread Damage & Heavy Rain
While Helene was smashing through Florida, it knocked down houses and messed up roads. Rivers rose to levels never seen before! In some areas, storm surges topped 15 feet, which led to huge floods and wreckage in coastal towns. Sadly, as Helene moved inland, it left destruction behind — dozens of people have lost their lives across different states. Emergency teams jumped into action to help those stuck in flooded areas. Hospitals had to airlift patients from rooftops! Even inmates at a jail had to be evacuated because of rising waters.
Dam Worries & Evacuations
Then there was a scary situation in Tennessee! The Nolichucky Dam in Greene County was almost failing. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) warned folks about a possible dam break. This led to about 100,000 people needing to leave their homes fast! Thankfully, by Saturday morning, the TVA said the dam was okay — although water levels were still pretty high at 8 feet more than usual. They are keeping a close eye on it because danger is still hanging around.
Another worrying moment happened in Newport, Tennessee. There were alerts about a potential “catastrophic” dam failure there too. This made everyone in downtown evacuate quickly! Luckily, this turned out to be a false alarm. But it showed just how powerful the storm really is.
Losses & Power Outages
This storm has taken at least 44 lives across five states; Georgia and the Carolinas faced the worst effects. In South Carolina, people died from falling trees & flash floods. In Georgia, two kids were among those lost when tornadoes hit mobile homes. The storm also caused big power outages that affected over 3.8 million people by Saturday morning! Crews are working hard to help those stuck by floods & debris.
Heavy Rainfall & Future Impact
Helene has broken rainfall records too! Atlanta saw its wettest 48-hour period ever recorded! The National Weather Service keeps pushing out flood warnings since landslides and flooding can be long-term threats for many areas — especially in the Appalachian Mountains. Officials are telling everyone to stay alert because rivers are still rising and floodwaters will likely stick around for days.
The aftermath is going to be tough; Helene has caused massive damage that might take months or even years to fix fully. Though the winds aren’t as strong now, everyone will remember Helene for the awful floods and destruction it caused throughout the Southeast. Let’s hope for better days ahead!
