Sep 29, 2024; Asheville, NC, USA; A man walks past a building along Riverside Drive that was destroyed by flooding caused by Hurricane Helene. North Carolina that bore the brunt of damage, with vast swaths of cities like Asheville underwater, residents trapped in their homes with no lights or food and few functioning roads for rescue workers to help them.. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Costello Ii-USA TODAY
(Asheville, North Carolina) – More than 80 people are now dead as a result of Hurricane Helene – with dozens killed in Western North Carolina. Nearly two million people in the Southeast are still without power as crews work around the clock with clean up and recovery efforts. The storm first made landfall on Thursday on the Florida panhandle where it brought devastating floods and 140 mile-an-hour winds as a Category 4 storm. The storm was downgraded, however it continued down a path of destruction as it headed North. The storm may have passed, however weather experts and state officials warn that more rain could bring dangerous flash floods to the already oversaturated region.
Supplies are being flown into Asheville, as many of the roads were completely destroyed making it only accessible via air. FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell says that the federal government is working to provide assistance to the affected states. She also blamed the extreme weather conditions on climate change.
