More than 210 people have been confirmed dead after Hurricane Helene tore through several US states. Officials reported the storm is now the second deadliest to hit the US mainland in over 50 years.
On Thursday, US President Joe Biden made his second consecutive visit to the southeast to console residents devastated by the disaster. Helene’s destruction left towns flooded, roads impassable, and power and water services knocked out. Communities are now facing the beginning of a long recovery process.
According to official data compiled by AFP, the storm claimed 212 lives across North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and Virginia. North Carolina was hit the hardest, with more than half of the deaths recorded there. The situation is being described as “post-apocalyptic.”
Read: Tropical Storm Helene Wreaks Havoc in US
In Ray City, Georgia, Biden visited a damaged pecan farm and reassured residents, stating, “I see you, I hear you, I grieve with you — and I promise you, we have your back.”
Helene Ranks Deadliest Since Hurricane Katrina
Helene now ranks as the deadliest storm since Hurricane Katrina, which killed 1,392 people in 2005. The devastation has prompted widespread rescue efforts, involving thousands of federal personnel, National Guard members, and local responders. Yet, with many people still missing in isolated mountainous areas, the death toll is expected to rise.
On Thursday, Biden also traveled to Florida’s northern Gulf Coast, where Helene made landfall last week as a Category 4 hurricane, with winds reaching 225 kilometers per hour. During an aerial tour and a visit to Keaton Beach, the president witnessed rows of destroyed homes near the storm’s landfall site.
Researchers point to the climate crisis as a possible factor in the storm’s rapid intensification, noting that warmer ocean temperatures provide more energy for such storms. The Sierra Club emphasized this in a statement, saying Helene fed off record-high Gulf of Mexico water temperatures, which supercharged its power. Executive director Ben Jealous warned, “The devastation we’re seeing across the Southeast is the climate crisis in action.”
Despite ongoing federal efforts, former president Donald Trump criticized the storm response in a campaign speech in Michigan, accusing the Biden administration of neglect. Trump falsely claimed that federal resources had been depleted, stating, “People are dying all over, and they’re getting no help from our federal government.” He alleged that federal funds had been diverted to assist “illegal migrants.”
The political dispute aside, the focus remains on aiding those affected and starting the long road to recovery from the catastrophic storm.
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