The Path of Destruction: Helene

A 600 mile swath of destruction caused billions of dollars of damage, deaths, and outright rage.

The remnants of Hurricane Helene caused severe flooding and mudslides in North Carolina, destroying many communities. Damage to roads, power lines, cellphone towers, and water treatment plants left thousands of people without access to food, water, electricity, gasoline, or phone service.

State and federal agencies worked to deliver supplies, while search teams looked for hundreds of missing people. By Thursday, 104 storm-related deaths were reported in North Carolina, contributing to a total of at least 209 deaths across the Southeast since the storm hit Florida’s Gulf Coast last week. Gov. Roy Cooper called the disaster an “unprecedented tragedy.”

Helene came ashore Sept. 26 in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane and carved a wide swath of destruction as it moved northward from Florida, washing away homes, destroying roads and knocking out electricity and cellphone service for millions.

Track the devastation at this link from the New York Times Hurricane Helene