Hurricane Helene made landfall in Big Bend, Florida at approximately 11 pm on Thursday, September 26 as a Category 4 storm with sustained winds as high as 140 mph. By Friday afternoon, Helene had been downgraded to a tropical depression, but the storm’s heavy rain and wind continued to cause severe damage across an 800 mile path of the southeastern region of the U.S. More than 100 people have lost their lives across six states, and hundreds more were reported as missing. As of Sunday evening, more than 2,000 residents were sheltering in 73 locations across five states. More than 4.5 million people lost power from the storm, and more than 2 million customers remained without power at the time of writing.
President Biden approved federal disaster declarations for Florida, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. The Biden administration is sending “everything [they] have” to assist with storm response, including deploying more than 3,200 federal personnel. FEMA Acting Response and Recovery Director Keith Turi warns that many deaths and injuries occur after a storm passes and is encouraging affected individuals to proceed with caution and listen to local officials to stay safe.
Across the impacted areas, hundreds of water rescues have been performed. More than 50 people were rescued from the roof of Unicoi County Hospital in Erwin, Tennessee on Friday after being trapped by floodwaters. Many of these efforts have required helicopters, as survivors can only be reached by air in some locations. One of the issues looming largest for many communities is the lack of access to fresh water. Residents of many cities are under orders to boil water before consumption, which order has been complicated by lack of electricity.
North Carolina, which was hit especially hard by the storm, has declared a public health emergency. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper reports that emergency responders and relief agencies are working hard to send resources and aid, despite difficulties with communication and as a result of flooded roads from the nearly 30 inches of rain that fell in some regions of the state. Flooding in North Carolina was exacerbated by rainwater overtopping Lake Lure Dam, which led to orders to evacuate and more than 25 “swift water rescue” efforts. Governor Cooper called Helene “one of the worst storms in modern history.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis reports Helene inflicted more damage than Hurricane Idalia, the strongest hurricane to impact the Big Bend region in over 125 years when it struck in 2023. Mandatory evacuations were issued in 23 Florida counties, including Taylor County, where Helene’s landfall caused a storm surge of more than 15 feet. Full damage assessments are currently difficult to determine due to remaining floodwater.
NLIHC and members of our Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC) will continue to monitor the situation and work to assist low-income households and advocates in the wake of Hurricane Helene as part of our Disaster Housing Recovery, Research, and Resilience (DHR) efforts. The NLIHC-led DHRC comprises over 900 national, state, and local organizations that work collaboratively to ensure that federal disaster recovery efforts reach those most impacted and most marginalized by disasters, including households with the lowest incomes and those experiencing homelessness.
Here is a list of federal safety, health, and recovery resources. Federal assistance applications can be found at DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling 800-621-3362, or via the FEMA app.
Read FEMA’s hurricane preparation advice at: https://www.ready.gov/hurricanes
Download the FEMA app to receive updates and sign up for emergency alerts.