Hurricane Helene

Stories 21 - 40 | << Prev   Next >>

Newborn Twins, Mom Found Dead in Helene Aftermath

Month-old twins were crushed by a falling tree

(Newser) - Obie Williams could hear babies crying and branches battering the windows when he answered his daughter's daily phone call last week as Hurricane Helene tore through her rural Georgia town. Kobe Williams, 27, and her newborn twin boys were hunkering down at their trailer home in Thomson, Georgia, and...

Couple Killed by Falling Tree Found Hugging in Bed

Marcia and Jerry Savage were teenage sweethearts, married for over 50 years

(Newser) - As Hurricane Helene roared outside, the wind howling and branches snapping, John Savage went to his grandparents' bedroom to make sure they were OK. "We heard one snap and I remember going back there and checking on them," the 22-year-old said of his grandparents, Marcia, 74, and Jerry,...

Hurricane Kirk Could Affect East Coast on Sunday

NHC says storm currently gaining strength could cause 'life-threatening' swells

(Newser) - After Hurricane Helene's devastation, Hurricane Isaac and Tropical Storm Joyce formed in the Atlantic Ocean and dissipated without ever posing a threat to the US mainland. The National Hurricane Center is now watching two more storms, one of which could cause rough conditions on the East Coast in the...

FEMA's Budget Can't Weather Another Hurricane

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said 'we do not have the funds'

(Newser) - Hurricane season doesn't wrap up until Nov. 30, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency's budget may not make it until then. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Wednesday that the agency is "meeting the immediate needs" after Hurricane Helene with the funds it currently has. But "...

Helene Was Ruinous. The Insurance Reality Is Worse

Only the smallest fraction of homeowners hit by Helene have flood insurance

(Newser) - The devastation Hurricane Helene caused may be followed by devastation of another flavor: financial. Politico reports homeowners' insurance generally does not cover flood damage, which must be purchased separately. Almost all of US flood policies are sold via the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Flood Insurance Program, which covers...

With No Water, Asheville Hospital Resorts to Drilling a Well

It's unclear when water service to the North Carolina city will be restored

(Newser) - Asheville is hundreds of miles from where Hurricane Helene made landfall, but the storm still unleashed absolute devastation on the North Carolina city, which saw some of the heaviest rainfall, NPR reports. The resulting floods destroyed pipes, leaving 100,000 people without water for an undetermined amount of time, the...

Workers Say They Weren't Allowed to Go as Waters Rose

2 employees at Tennessee factory died after being swept away and 4 are missing

(Newser) - Surviving workers at a plastics factory in eastern Tennessee say that as floodwaters rose on Friday, managers didn't let them leave until it was too late. Out of 11 Impact Plastics workers swept away by flooding in Erwin, near the North Carolina border, two are confirmed dead and four...

Hurricane Helene Deaths Won&#39;t Stop for 15 Years
Hurricane Helene Deaths
Won't Stop for 15 Years
new study
Oct 2, 2024 12:15 PM CDT

Hurricane Helene Deaths Won't Stop for 15 Years

Study finds a staggering number of excess deaths happen in years after a tropical cyclone

(Newser) - Hurricane Helene's death toll has been rising for a week. It won't fully stop for 15 years, or so suggests a study published Wednesday in Nature . The New York Times describes the findings as so staggering to the researchers that they spent years checking their math. What they...

In North Carolina, Aid Arrives the Old-Fashioned Way

Use of mules 'an unprecedented response' to 'an unprecedented storm,' says Gov. Roy Cooper

(Newser) - Helicopters, military planes, semi-trucks, and mules are helping bring much needed aid to North Carolina in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Vehicles are carrying the heavy loads, but mules are able to reach areas not accessible by vehicle, including some hard-hit mountainous areas, Axios reports. "This has been an...

Helene Is 2nd-Deadliest Hurricane, by One Measure

Death toll currently stands at 162, and will likely continue to climb

(Newser) - The death toll from Hurricane Helene currently stands at at least 162, making it, according to CNN , the second-deadliest hurricane to hit the US mainland over the past five decades. Deaths have been reported in six states: North Carolina (73), South Carolina (36), Georgia (25), Florida (17), Tennessee (9), and...

'Brown Ocean Effect' May Have Made Helene Worse

Scientists believe hurricane gained strength from soil waterlogged from days of rain

(Newser) - Hurricane Helene left scenes of utter devastation in places that don't normally have much to fear from hurricanes. One of the worst-hit communities was Asheville in western North Carolina, once seen as a "haven" from extreme weather, the Guardian reports. Scientists tell the New York Times that heavy...

Helene Has Fouled Up Voting in North Carolina

Mail ballots may have been lost in flooding, among other complications

(Newser) - Hurricane Helene has thoroughly messed with North Carolina's efforts to prepare for election day. Around 190,000 ballots were sent out in the battleground state in the week before the storm hit. Though officials have received no reports of ballot or voting equipment losses, per WVEC , it's possible...

Appalachian Trail Took a Big Hit From Helene

'More than a third' of the trail is now inaccessible; adjacent communities have also been devastated

(Newser) - "It will be weeks, months, and even years to see recovery from this event." That was the weekend message from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy on the aftermath of Hurricane Helene across the Southeast—devastation that includes "more than a third" of the Appalachian Trail being knocked out...

With Roads Impassable, Dad Walks 17 Miles to Daughter's Wedding

Father walked through the night amid Hurricane Helene debris

(Newser) - David Jones set out from South Carolina to Tennessee for his daughter's wedding not fully realizing the devastation Hurricane Helene had wrought, and after multiple diversions on Interstate 26 due to the powerful storm, a state trooper stopped him around 2am Saturday to tell him he could go no...

Helene Death Toll Hits 132
Helene Death Toll Hits 132
Sep 30, 2024 6:19 PM CDT

Helene Death Toll Hits 132

Hundreds are still missing in states including North Carolina, Tennessee

(Newser) - The death toll from Hurricane Helene now stands at 132, and with hundreds still missing , officials expect the toll from what is already America's deadliest hurricane so far this year to rise further. The AP reports that the toll includes at least 40 people in the North Carolina county...

Floods Wash Away NC's 'Rainbow Bridge'

Beloved pet memorial was part of Lake Lure Flowering Bridge

(Newser) - Hurricane Helene brought more heartbreak to pet owners who left collars and leashes as memorials at a real-life Rainbow Bridge. The bridge was wiped out by floodwaters, along with the rest of the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge, the Asheville Citizen Times reports. The pet memorial was one of 30 themed...

30 Dead in One County Alone in Rural North Carolina

The toll is expected to rise in Buncombe County, home to Asheville

(Newser) - The full scope of the damage wrought by Hurricane Helene on the southeastern US continues to emerge as floodwaters recede. Perhaps no locale has been hit harder than North Carolina's mountainous Buncombe County, where the death toll stands at 30 and is expected to rise, reports the Asheville Citizen ...

North Carolina Battles 'Horrific Disaster' After Helene

State struggles with Helene's aftermath

(Newser) - Across the southeastern US, people are working to clean up and recover from Hurricane Helene. The task is especially difficult in North Carolina, where much of Asheville is underwater, state residents are trapped in their homes without power or food, many roads are closed even to rescue crews, and cellphone...

Cleanup Begins as Scores Are Left Homeless After Helene

At least 52 people were killed, and millions remain without power

(Newser) - Massive rains from powerful Hurricane Helene left people stranded, without shelter, and awaiting rescue on Saturday—as the cleanup began after the tempest that killed at least 52 people, caused widespread destruction across the US Southeast, and left millions without power. Helene blew ashore in Florida's Big Bend region...

Helicopters Battling Winds Reach Patients on Hospital Roof

Water in Tennessee was rising too fast to evacuate people by raft

(Newser) - Patients and their caregivers were rescued Friday from a Tennessee hospital's roof, where they took shelter after flooding caused by Hurricane Helene drove them from the building's interior and conditions made rescue efforts difficult. The dramatic scene at Unicoi County Hospital in Erwin, near the North Carolina border,...

Stories 21 - 40 | << Prev   Next >>