Death Toll from Hurricane Helene Rises to 64 in Florida
Florida, The Gulf Observer: The death toll from Hurricane Helene has risen to at least 64 along the Florida coastline, with millions of residents still facing power outages. The storm, now downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone, continues to cause widespread destruction, leaving thousands of families homeless and communities struggling to recover.
“I’ve never seen so many people homeless as what I have right now,” said Janalea England, a resident of Steinhatchee, a small river town in Florida’s rural Big Bend region. England, who owns a commercial fish market, has transformed her business into a donation center to support neighbors and friends who lost their homes, many of whom were unable to secure insurance.
In North Carolina, where the storm unleashed the worst flooding in over a century, the devastation has been described as “catastrophic” by Governor Roy Cooper. Search and rescue teams from 19 states, alongside federal assistance, have been deployed to the state, where entire neighborhoods have been submerged in floodwaters.
Asheville resident Mario Moraga, witnessing the destruction in the Biltmore Village neighborhood, described the situation as “heartbreaking.” He and his neighbors have been going door-to-door to check on one another, offering help wherever possible. “There’s no cell service here. There’s no electricity,” Moraga added, illustrating the extent of the challenges residents face in the storm’s aftermath.
Local officials in Florida, including Emergency Services Director Van Taylor Jones, have struggled to provide comprehensive updates due to downed cell towers, which have hindered efforts to contact victims’ families. “While we know there have been deaths, we’re not ready to report specifics yet,” Jones said.
The storm is expected to hover over the Tennessee Valley throughout the weekend, according to the National Hurricane Center, bringing additional rainfall and potential flooding to the region. Atlanta has already recorded 28.24 centimeters of rain over a 48-hour period, the highest amount in two days since records began in 1878.
President Joe Biden, speaking on Saturday, described the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene as “overwhelming” and pledged federal support for the affected areas. “We will provide the help needed to rebuild and recover,” the President stated. Federal relief efforts are expected to intensify in the coming days as communities across multiple states work to rebuild from the catastrophic damage.