According to one analysis, the cost of Helen’s path of destruction across the southeastern United States is expected to exceed $30 billion.
The estimates include wind losses for residential and commercial properties across 16 states, insured and uninsured storm surge, and inland flooding, according to CoreLogic, a California-based financial and consumer analytics firm that aggregated the losses. This includes losses due to Helen, which became the first Category 4 hurricane to hit Florida on September 26, is estimated to have caused between $10.5 billion and $17.5 billion in insured losses alone.
Monika Ningen, CEO of Swiss Re’s U.S. property and casualty reinsurance division, said Helen’s path had caused massive flooding in several areas without insurance, which would “lead to a significant impact.” It will become increasingly difficult for affected communities to rebuild.”
Take Buncombe County, North Carolina, which includes Asheville, for example. Much of the damage in the county has occurred in mountainous areas far from the Atlantic Ocean. According to Swiss Re, a global insurance and reinsurance company, only 941 of the county’s 140,000 homes have active flood insurance policies.
On Saturday, Helen’s death toll rose to 228, according to a USA TODAY Network analysis.
Meanwhile, the National Hurricane Center announced that a new hurricane is forming in the Gulf of Mexico. A strengthening storm could hit Florida within days.
Helen’s victims face another fear: bears
Development status:
Blue Ridge Parkway remains closed indefinitely, park officials say Power outages remain in southern areas where Helen’s deluge devastated communities, according to Saturday’s USA TODAY power outage tracker. It is said that there are some left. Hundreds of thousands of power outages have been reported, primarily in the Carolinas and Georgia, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency is providing aid to both homeowners and small business owners affected by Helen. Payments come in the form of checks or direct deposits, but can only be used for certain means such as lodging, repairs, and generators. The Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network, reports on what residents will be compensated for. North Carolina will receive $100 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation, a federal agency, to help pay for emergency road work due to flood damage in Helen. It was announced on Saturday. The storm washed away roads and caused bridge collapses along Interstate 40 and elsewhere, according to the Department of Transportation On Saturday, Vice President Kamala Harris visited North Carolina to discuss continued recovery efforts in the state. I received an explanation. She plans to meet with those affected by Helen, review the status of aid distribution and provide updates on the federal response. Former President Donald Trump campaigned in North Carolina on Friday and supported a GoFundMe fundraiser that had raised more than $6 million for those affected by Helen as of Saturday.
New hurricane forms in Gulf of Mexico
Forecasters say another tropical cyclone forming in the Gulf of Mexico will quickly develop into a hurricane, likely named Hurricane Milton, and hurtle toward Florida within days.
The National Hurricane Center announced Saturday morning that the storm in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to develop into a “nearly major hurricane.” Forecasters say the storm is approaching the Florida Gulf Coast with winds of 110 mph and could make landfall near Tampa by midweek.
(Read the full text here.)
– Mike Snyder, USA TODAY
Even Habitat for Humanity didn’t shun Helen. How do we recover?
ASHEVILLE, N.C. โ Even Habitat for Humanity, based along the Swannanoa River, was not spared from the damage caused by Tropical Storm Helen. The nonprofit organization is temporarily suspending operations to clean up its Asheville-area property.
But CEO Andy Barnett said in the long term, Habitat for Humanity will help rebuild Asheville.
“That’s really Habitat’s niche, and after the disaster, unfortunately, we as an organization were able to prove that across the country,” Barnett said.
(Read the full text here.)
– Evan Gericke, Asheville Citizen Times
It could take weeks for power to be restored in rural Georgia.
At the height of Helen’s outrage, Jefferson Energy lost service to 100% of its 37,000 service locations in an 11-county area. More than 14,700 customers were still in the dark as of Saturday afternoon, more than a week after the storm.
“It’s going to be a multi-week process,” said Wayne Gossage Jr., president of Jefferson Energy.
Jefferson Energy serves approximately 90 miles of rural Georgia from just north of Swainsboro to Clarks Hill Lake and approximately 90 miles east to west from the Savannah River in Augusta to the east side of Warrenton. We offer
On Friday night, Augusta city officials announced that the boil water advisory for residents and businesses has been lifted. The city’s Department of Public Works had issued the recommendations on Monday.
– Parrish Howard and Alexandra Koch, Augusta Chronicle
Asheville business decides to rebuild
ASHEVILLE, N.C. โ Helen looted businesses along the French Broad River, but the owners of three beloved gathering spaces are determined not to let this be the end of their story. .
A week after the unprecedented storm, leaders at Day Trip, Hi-Five Coffee, and Ziricoa Beer are hard at work assessing losses and supporting out-of-work staff, among other business and personal challenges. There is. But they remain resilient and optimistic.
“Asheville will be forever changed, but the beauty of our community is that it is full of small business owners who started just like us,” said Jeremy Chasner, co-owner of Ziricor Beer. That’s what it means,” he said.
(Read the full text here.)
– Tiana Kennel, Asheville Citizen Times
‘Hurricane Alley’ residents wonder how their city will return
CANTON, N.C. โ A light drizzle fell on Donna Reimer’s belongings covered in a tarp. It was enough to make her uneasy.
“April showers bring May flowers. We don’t want to see rain until April,” Reimer said Friday afternoon, standing next to the basement doorway.
Just a week ago, rain and mud slammed against my door as Tropical Storm Helen brought unexpectedly high flooding to my childhood home. Reimer said she was shocked as the water rose and fell and wondered, “Will our little town ever come back?”
Canton has been grappling with this issue for several years.
In 2021, Tropical Storm Fred brought flooding and damage to the town. Last year, a 115-year-old paper mill in Canton closed, leaving more than 1,000 people without jobs.
Seeing how the community came together after the storm, with neighbors helping neighbors, Reimer thinks the town will come back. So did Gov. Roy Cooper, who visited Canton on Friday.
(Read the full text here.)
– Douglas Saul, Asheville Citizen Times
Days after the destruction, disgruntled survivors are still looking for cell phone service
BURNSVILLE, N.C. โ As cell phone service continues to be disrupted in areas affected by Hurricane Helen, survivors wonder about safety, missed emergency alerts and the inability to reassure far-flung friends and family. I’m holding a
Helen caused power outages across large swathes of the South due to both high winds and flooding. The destruction also destroyed cell phone towers, potentially cutting off communications for millions of people. The lack of service is evident throughout the area, with dissatisfied residents clustered near the few sites that offer Wi-Fi or spotty cell phone service.
In the aftermath of the storm, 355 residents of the town of Red Hill were unable to call to check on the safety of their loved ones. They couldn’t get news about road closures, who had gas or generators, or who needed help.
“No one knew if we were alive or dead,” said Casey Smith, 28, who owns Red Hill General Store.
(Read the full text here.)
โ Trevor Hughes and Chris Kenning, USA TODAY
In upstate South Carolina, recovery is a marathon, not a sprint.
GREENVILLE, S.C. โ Driving through Greenville a week after Hurricane Helen, two scenes quickly became familiar. Trees are everywhere, on streets, houses, interstate medians, and usually traffic lights that act as four-way stops on their regular cycles.
But residents know that’s only half the story.
The details of the damage are currently under investigation. There are accounts of how many felled trees hit cars, ripping off roofs and killing lives. Some people still spend their nights in pitch darkness and days in stifling air, wondering when they’ll be able to turn on the light switch, stove, or air conditioner again. Many people are wondering and worrying about their North Carolina friends they can’t reach.
Most of all, residents in the northern part of the state are preparing for a marathon, not a sprint, of storm relief and recovery.
(Read the full text here.)
โ Sarah Clifton, Greenville News