Hurricane Helene and Milton: Devastation For The Southeast Coast

KENZIE LOW

2 years ago

The 2024 hurricane season has arrived, and in just two weeks, two devastating hurricanes have hit the East Coast: Hurricane Helene and Milton. These hurricanes, categorized as four and five on the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale, respectively, caused severe damage across the U.S.’ East Coast. Evacuations were called across 13 different counties as Hurricane Helene hit Florida, and a mass evacuation was called when Hurricane Milton followed suit. These natural disasters have created some of the largest evacuations and have left many Americans without power, resources, and homes.

Hurricane Helene formed in the Caribbean Sea on September 24th, then became a tropical storm on September 25th. However, the storm rapidly escalated into a category 4 hurricane and made landfall on Thursday in Florida’s Gulf Coast. Warnings, emergency declarations, and evacuation measures had taken place before the landfall. Nonetheless, the effects of the storm were truly devastating. Many people lost power around Florida, but the storm did more damage moving inland. Specifically, people in North Carolina were severely affected. Around 46,832 residents of North Carolina lost power, and about 20 trillion gallons of rain flooded the state, washing away thousands of homes. Additionally, North Carolina’s Department of Transportation has found 5,400 damaged road sites. Many businesses and schools have stopped operating, and even after two weeks, many citizens are left without power, running water, and cell service.

The Category 4 storm was the 14th most powerful hurricane to hit the U.S. ever. It is the fifth storm that hit Florida since 2022, and 500 miles from the Big Bend region in Florida to the U.S. inland were destroyed. The storm was still damaging for Florida, however the state is accustomed to storms, and enacts proper precautions for such events. Inland states like North Carolina were not prepared for the natural disaster, leaving the inland community appalled, with regular daily life so quickly stripped away from them.

There were 93 recorded deaths in the state of North Carolina. Across the nation, at least 234 people have died because of Hurricane Helene.

There was little respite until Hurricane Milton made landfall on October 9th in Sarasota, Florida. Milton made landfall as a category 3 hurricane, however it quickly turned into a category 5 hurricane and severely damaged the state and left many distressed citizens without power or homes. Fortunately, a mass evacuation was called before the storm, with officials urging citizens to find a place inside or outside of Florida that would be safe. Nevertheless, about 2.3 million citizens are left without power, and a large portion of them have their homes flooded. About 40 tornadoes sprung from the hurricane’s wake, one of which destroyed a retirement home in Fort Pierce and killed 14. The storm finally became a post-tropical cyclone on October 11th. Despite this, Milton may be one of the most costly storms in US history. The damage from the hurricane will cost about $160-180 billion dollars to repair. Fortunately, Florida’s environmentally smart infrastructure and its adaptiveness to storms have lessened what the impact of Hurricane Milton could have been. Yet, Milton is still one of the most economically damaging and impactful storms that have hit Florida.

Overall, there are 17 confirmed deaths from this hurricane across 8 counties in Florida.

America is in a period of change, with news and updates buzzing around the nation. However, it is important to note the damage and offer support to those who have experienced the two hurricanes. The 2024 hurricane season has set a new norm for storms, with more intense, inland storms becoming more frequent. This is a drastic and scary change.

Climate change is a major factor in the creation of these more intense storms. Thus, measures to create flood-resistant infrastructure and roads would mitigate the storms’ effects. Inland states may need to adopt measures similar to Florida to combat these hurricanes, as hurricanes will reach inland more often due to climate change. These solutions will help, but the most important solutions involve long-term mindedness. Continued observation of storm patterns, improving the environment, reducing climate change, and protecting our planet will go a long way to ensuring storms like this will not be as frequent. The past three weeks have been tragic for the Southeast with Hurricane Helene and Milton, and the nation must turn its eyes to these storms and provide mitigations and solutions for these natural disasters.

Works Cited

“2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season.” Center for Disaster Philanthropy, 11 July 2024, disasterphilanthropy.org/disasters/2024-atlantic-hurricane-season/. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.

Audra, et al. “Milton in Florida and Helene in North Carolina Were Very Different Hurricanes.” Nytimes.com, The New York Times, 13 Oct. 2024, http://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/13/us/hurricane-milton-helene-florida-north-carolina.html. Accessed 16 Oct. 2024.

“Hurricane Helene Prompts Evacuations in Florida.” Cbsnews.com, CBS News, 25 Sept. 2024, http://www.cbsnews.com/news/tropical-storm-helene-florida-evacuations/. Accessed 18 Oct. 2024.

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Randolph, Rainey. “Storm That Could Become Hurricane Helene Forecast to Rapidly Intensify on Its Way to Florida’s Gulf Coast – WDEF.” WDEF, 23 Sept. 2024, http://www.wdef.com/storm-that-could-become-hurricane-helene-forecast-to-rapidly-intensify-on-its-way-to-floridas-gulf-coast/. Accessed 18 Oct. 2024.