Climate change has delivered another powerful punch. In late September 2024, Hurricane Helene pummeled southern states with wind and rain that shattered records and left destruction in its wake.
The storm made landfall Thursday, Sept. 26, in the so-called “Big Bend” region of Florida—a marshy and sparsely populated area in the state’s northwest along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.
Helene started out as a Category 4 storm, which is second-highest on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. Only a Category 5 is potentially more destructive. Both have wind speeds exceeding 130 miles per hour and are expected to incur “catastrophic damage.”
Helene delivered on its promise. The storm headed north, moving inland through multiple states. It destroyed homes, downed power lines, cut off roads and caused death throughout the states of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. The AP reports 227 deaths have been confirmed as of Saturday, Oct. 5, making it the deadliest storm since Hurricane Katrina.
Although many of the areas affected by the storm were rural and sparsely populated, the damage was no less destructive. Some communities in Florida and North Carolina were completely destroyed.
Utilities are also scrambling to restore power. Georgia Power, the utility that delivers power to 2.7 million customers throughout most of the state, reported on October 1 that it had restored power to 1 million of its customers, which is about 80% of those affected by the storm.
The company also described the extent of the damage it faces. It will have to repair or replace more than 8,000 power poles, 1,000 miles of wire and 1,500 transformers. It will also have to remove more than 3,200 trees that have fallen on power lines.
Duke Energy faces similar destruction in the Carolinas. The utility serves more than 8 million customers across six states. Jason Hollifield, the company’s storm director for the Carolinas, explained in a statement that the aftermath entails much more than just a simple repair. “We’re going to have to completely rebuild parts of our system,” he said.
Meanwhile, state and federal governments are also working to aid victims and help affected communities recover. President Biden recently announced that he has directed the Department of Defense to deploy up to 1,000 active-duty soldiers to support the delivery of food, water and other critical commodities to communities impacted by Hurricane Helene.
Header image: Hurricane Helene, as seen from the International Space Station. Source: ISS/NASA
About The Author
LAEZMAN is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer who has been covering renewable power for more than 10 years. He may be reached at [email protected].