Hurricane Helene Aftermath: At Least 52 Dead As Flooding Threat Continues

Topline

Hurricane Helene brought destruction and catastrophic flooding to the Southeast this week, killing at least 52 people, leaving more than three million without power as of Saturday and generating possibly close to $30 billion in damages as remnants of the storm stall above the Tennessee Valley.

Key Facts

The storm has killed at least 52 people since making landfall in Florida on Thursday night, according to CNN, with deaths caused by car crashes, fallen trees, flooding and an accompanying tornado in Georgia, The New York Times reported.

At least 19 people are dead in South Carolina, while 15 and 11 people have been killed in Georgia and Florida, respectively, CNN reported, noting the death toll stretches across five states.

1.2 million homes are without power across Florida and Georgia this morning, as outages have extended to 1.7 million in the Carolinas and 515,000 throughout Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio, some of which could turn into long-duration outages, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The inclement weather generated by Hurricane Helene brought 11.2 inches of rain in 48 hours to Atlanta this week, topping a 137-year-old record, according to the Associated Press, with the National Hurricane Center noting there is ongoing and widespread river flooding in the southern Appalachians following “catastrophic flooding.”

The storm has been downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone and its remnants are expected to bring 1-2 inches of rainfall in the Ohio Valley, central Appalachians and the western Florida Peninsula.

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How Much Property Damage Did Hurricane Helene Create?

Moody’s Analytics expects $15 billion to $26 billion in property damage, according to multiple outlets. Hurricane Idalia, the largest and only hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. in 2023, caused $3.6 billion in property damage, though preliminary estimates were expected between $12 billion and $20 billion in damage.

Did Hurricane Helene Break Any Dams?

Helene put two dams in jeopardy of collapsing, Lake Lure Dam in North Carolina and Tennessee's Nolichucky Dam. Officials said Friday the failure of the Lake Lure Dam was “imminent,” though the latest update on the dam noted the flow rate was under control and that there was “no longer at imminent risk of failure.” Nolichucky Dam was also reported for an imminent failure but was later deemed intact in a Saturday morning update from the Tennessee Valley Authority.

What To Watch For

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is tracking Tropical Storm Joyce as it heads northwest toward the U.S. Joyce is the 10th named storm of the hurricane season and is also being monitored alongside Hurricane Isaac in the central Atlantic.

Key Background

Helene peaked as a Category 4 storm Friday, whipping up 140 mph winds and about a foot of rain in some regions in the Southeast. The storm also created more than 1,000 flight cancellations and 4,000 delays. Helene is the eighth named storm of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season, which has not been nearly as active as scientists have predicted. Meteorologists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted the most active storm season ever to occur this year, forecasting between 17 and 25 named storms and citing near-record warm sea surface temperatures as the reason for the ambitious prediction.

Further Reading

Destruction Spreads Across Southeast as Helene Spawns Floods and Landslides (New York Times)