Liam Saranich | News Editor
Hurricane Helene has killed and destroyed far and wide – from Tampa to Atlanta to Ashville, North Carolina, its high winds, heavy rains and sheer size created a perfect mix for devastation.
The Hurricane made landfall late Thursday last week along a largely undeveloped expanse of pine trees and salt marshes on Florida’s Big Bend coast, but it immediately displayed its far-reaching power several hundred miles away. As of Sunday morning, at least 64 people have been confirmed killed.
Tampa bay was it by the massive storm that sent water up to people’s attics. Atlanta got more than 11 inches of rain, more than any 48-hour period recorded in history. Many trees were ripped out of the ground in South Carolia and at one point more than 40 percent of the state lost electricity. In North Carolina, dams were in jeopardy of failing and entire communities have been cut off by floods. Floodwaters submerged the entire hospital in Tennessee so quickly that more than 50 patients had to be rescued from the rooftop by helicopter.
Dan Brown, a specialist at the National Hurricane Center near Miami, said Helene had all the attributes that make a storm widely destructive.
It was large, about 350 miles wide. It was strong, with winds reaching 140 mph when it made landfall late Thursday, creating widespread storm surges. It carried heavy rains. And it was fast, speeding North at up to 24 mph offshore and 30 mph inland.
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