Helene - 327
As I write this, 200 people have died from Hurricane Helene. The giant vapor storm* made landfall in Florida's Big Bend as a rapidly intensifying Category 4 storm, capable of "catastrophic damage." While Helene brought a storm surge of 15 feet to Florida, it continued through Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Virginia, resulting in flash floods and record-breaking rainfall. Damage is estimated at 160 billion. North Carolina's infrastructure failed under the sheer volume of rainfall. In some areas, floodwaters submerged roads and washed away bridges, cutting off access to critical services. Thousands of downed trees blocked roads and snapped power lines. Emergency responders struggled to rescue stranded residents, the ones still able to contact them. In anticipation of the storm, President Biden approved emergency declarations for several states, enabling the federal government to mobilize FEMA, provide disaster relief, and deploy resources such as emergency p...