Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 hurricane (a hurricane with winds from 130-156 mph) made first landfall in Florida in the middle of the night on September 26th. The storm lasted for 3 days and reached winds of 140 mph. The tragedies and effects of Hurricane Helene were unmatched and made headlines for the groundbreaking damage and devastations that spread across Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
Timeline:
Monday, September 23rd – The National Hurricane Center (NHC), a government agency that patrols hurricanes and gives warnings and forecasts about the storms, warns people in Florida about an unusual storm that could reach land within the next few days.
Tuesday, September 24th – It is confirmed to be a dangerous storm and flooding and heavy mudslides start occurring as the storm approaches the North-Eastern Gulf coast.
Wednesday, September 25th – Hurricane Helene is categorized as a Category 1 hurricane and the NHC sees the storm to be increasing in size as it gets closer and closer to the Eastern Gulf of Mexico.
Thursday, September 26th – Hurricane Helene jumps dramatically to a Category 4 hurricane with winds reaching over 130 mph. The storm reaches land in Keaton Beach, Florida at 11:10pm.
Friday, September 27th – Buildings and homes break apart and are crushed by the heavy winds and rain of Hurricane Helene. Many policemen and firemen rescue countless Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina citizens from the heavy floods.
Saturday, September 28th – The severity of the storm increases and roads are closed because of floods. Buildings and cars are submerged in water and power outages were abundant in many areas.
By the end of the storm on Sunday, September 29th, over 220 people were killed and over $200 billion worth of property was destroyed. Organizations began quickly planning to rebuild from the rubble and restore the cities and towns affected by the devastating storm. Though it has been several weeks since the strike of Hurricane Helene, the rebuilding is still ongoing and is likely to be a very costly and time-consuming process.
