As of late September, the South-Eastern Seaboard of America has been devastated again and again by tropical storms. Notably, Hurricane Helene has wreaked havoc within states such as Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Pressures within the Biden Administration and FEMA soar as the public calls for financial aid and disaster recovery to those areas affected. The storm had been believed to have been only a category 1 as of September 25th; however, by the next day (September 26th) the storm was then categorized as a 4. Late during the night of September 26th into the morning of September 27th, Hurricane Helene made landfall with winds surpassing 130 mph. Many people were unable to evacuate the Hurricane due to intense traffic on I-95, so they were forced to stay in their homes. This became an issue as first responders were forced to make thousands of water rescues since people became stranded on their roofs after severe flooding. Many homes and cars were washed away, leaving thousands homeless and displaced. As of October 7th, the death toll is at 230+ people.
The after effects of Helene have left North Carolina in a state of emergency due to many roads, houses, and businesses washing away and/or collapsing. Many organizations have aimed to send aid to those affected by Helene in the Carolinas and Tennessee. One such organization is Liquid Church, which has multiple locations throughout New Jersey, with their main campus in Parsippany. They held an event on October 13th where people could pack and donate supplies such as food, diapers, clothing, water, and more to be sent as hurricane relief. Their team was able to pack 26 pallets (42,000 pounds) of supplies.
The National Center for Environmental Information (NCEI) which is located in Asheville, North Carolina was hit by the hurricane. Although it is still standing, the NCEI has been unable to access their archived data which is crucial in a time like this as they are an active government branch used to report on the climate. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has been supporting federal relief efforts, especially since the NCEI is a branch of their program.
Concerns were raised as Hurricane Milton followed after Helene, aimed toward the Tampa area. While over the Gulf of Mexico, Milton was categorized as a 5, and had winds that reached 180 mph. However, once Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida, it was categorized as a 3 with winds of 120 mph. The storm caused more than 3 million people to lose power according to PowerOutage.us. The governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis was quoted as saying, “There are going to be people who stay behind, and they’re going to be in distress.” This is in regards to the fact that local rescue services would not be provided until the storm was over, as the government did not want to risk the lives of first responders on those who did not evacuate.
Works Cited:
Emily Mae Czachor. “Hurricane Milton on Path for Florida Landfall as a Potentially Historic Major Storm.” Cbsnews.com, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2024, www.cbsnews.com/news/hurricane-milton-florida-landfall-path-storm/.
“Hurricane Helene.” Fema.gov, 27 Sept. 2024, www.fema.gov/disaster/current/hurricane-helene.
“Latest on Hurricane Helene’s Impacts on NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.” Noaa.gov, 4 Oct. 2024, www.noaa.gov/news-release/latest-on-hurricane-helenes-impacts-on-noaas-national-centers-for-environmental-information.
Luscombe, Richard. “Hurricane Helene: A Visual Timeline of Storm’s Devastation.” The Guardian, The Guardian, 2 Oct. 2024, www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/02/hurricane-helene-destruction-timeline.
Shapiro, Emily. “Hurricane Helene Live Updates: Track Path as Florida Braces for Landfall.” ABC News, ABC News, 25 Sept. 2024, abcnews.go.com/US/live-updates/hurricane-helene/?id=113931821.
“Sunny 95 – Good Music, Good Mood,.” Sunny 95 – Good Music, Good Mood, 2024, sunny95.com. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.
