Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 storm in Florida’s Big Bend and went on to cause widespread devastation throughout the Southeast. Learn more about the catastrophic storm and how you can help Hurricane Helene survivors.
Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 storm on Thursday, Sept. 26 in Florida’s Big Bend, causing hundreds of deaths in multiple states. Hundreds of people are still missing and more than one million remain without power. Helene is the strongest storm to ever hit Big Bend, which has not fully recovered from Hurricanes Debby and Idalia. The enormous storm moved through Florida and into Georgia and the Carolinas, where it triggered massive flooding, landslides, and tornadoes. The storm first hit Cuba with 16-foot coastal waves, leaving entire neighborhoods under water.
Source: NBC News
People who survived Hurricane Helene described water rising to their chests and homes collapsing into the ocean as the storm surge reached up to 20 feet. Dozens were rescued from their cars and roofs, including a group of people stuck atop a hospital in Tennessee. Millions in the storm’s path are now without power or stuck in shelters, with officials warning power outages could last for weeks. Hurricane Helene’s path of destruction stretched across 500 miles and included vital infrastructure, including bridges, roads, power lines, and water systems. The storm’s highest death toll came in North Carolina, where residents described being “unprepared” for the storm’s ferocity.
Sources: CNN + Politico
Even after its winds weakened from 140 mph, Hurricane Helene continued to unleash deadly flooding as a downgraded tropical storm. “It’s hard to take in. However bad we imagined it would be, it’s so much worse in the daylight,” said Michael Bobbit, a homeowner in Cedar Key, Florida, who believes it will take years for neighbors in his small town to recover. Hurricane Helene is estimated to have inflicted $95-110 billion in total damage and economic loss, making it one of the costliest storms in US history.
Sources: AP, BBC, NPR
GlobalGiving is working with responding partners to help Hurricane Helene survivors and first responders. Once urgent needs are met, the GlobalGiving Hurricane Helene Relief Fund will transition to support community-led, long-term recovery efforts as needed.
GlobalGiving’s history of support for local disaster response in the affected communities goes back many years, through Hurricanes Debby, Idalia, Ian, Michael, and Irma. Our vetted partners are already on the ground helping survivors, and they will be there long after the news cameras leave, as they live and work in the most affected communities. A few of our long-term partners include Farm Share Florida, The St. Bernard Project, Information Technology Disaster Resource Center, and the Institute for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Management. Their in-progress work includes: sending trucks of food for mass distribution, conducting cleanup and reconstruction, navigating FEMA resources, setting up temporary Internet and power stations, and reaching the hardest hit areas to deliver relief and assess damage.
Why? Survivors’ needs vary greatly throughout the life cycle of recovery. Some will require financial support, medical care, and psychological assistance years down the road. You can learn more about the importance of cash donations in this infographic with more practical tips for helping Hurricane Helene survivors.
Source: GlobalGiving + USAID Center for International Disaster Information
This article was originally published on Sept. 27, 2024, and last updated on Oct. 3, 2024.
Featured Photo: A man guides his granddaughter through a flooded neighborhood after Hurricane Helene hit in Cuba's Mayabeque province by Ramon Espinosa with AP News
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