Helene is 2nd-deadliest U.S. hurricane in 50 years, could cost $250 billion

A week after Hurricane Helene hit the Florida coast, it continues to rack up staggering numbers across the Southeast and could have a total cost of $250 billion.

In the wake of Hurricane Helene, the scale of its destruction continues to expand with each passing day.

Just days after unleashing a staggering 42 trillion gallons of rainfall, Helene etched its name in history as the second-deadliest hurricane to strike the United States mainland in 50 years. The numbers alone tell a harrowing tale of nature's unbridled power and the enduring impact of this catastrophic event.

$225-$250 billion

As the scope of catastrophic infrastructure damage, loss of life, business disruptions and other economic impacts becomes clearer in the wake of Hurricane Helene, AccuWeather has increased its estimate of the total damage and economic loss from Hurricane Helene in the United States to between $225 billion and $250 billion.  

This update from AccuWeather experts accounts for new and additional verified information, including the horrific loss of life, the immediate and long-term costs of healthcare for storm survivors and injured first responders, extended power outages, major infrastructure reconstruction projects for utilities, highways, bridges and railroad tracks, major business and travel disruptions, as well as long-term losses to tourism, technology, renewable energy and other industries across the southern Appalachians and southeastern U.S.  

213 fatalities; 2nd deadliest in 50 years

The latest death toll makes Helene the U.S. mainland's second-deadliest tropical storm since Hurricane Camille in 1969, behind only Hurricane Katrina, which killed at least 1,200 people. Only three other storms have been as deadly since 1950, including hurricanes Diane, Camille, and Audrey. Helene's ranking falls one notch when Including Hurricane Maria, which killed nearly 3,000 people in Puerto Rico in 2017.

Helene's grim death toll passed 213 people one week after the storm, with deaths reported in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee. Hundreds may still be missing.

42 trillion gallons

You could fill Lake Tahoe with all the rain that fell on the southeast U.S. during Hurricane Helene, the AP reports. The 42 trillion gallons of rainfall would also be equivalent to the flow of Niagara Falls for 1.75 years.

100,000 pounds

The North Carolina Air National Guard has delivered over 100,000 pounds of FEMA supplies to help those affected by Hurricane Helene. The group also rescued more than 500 people and 64 animals from the storm.

15 feet

Based on computer modeling, The National Hurricane Center estimated that Hurricane Helene's storm surge reached at least 15 feet near Keaton Beach, Steinhatchee and Horseshoe Beach, Florida. The only tidal gauge in the Big Bend of Florida, at Cedar Key, reached 9.3 feet, smashing its previous record of 6.9 feet set during Hurricane Idalia in 2023.

4,800,000 customers

Four days after Hurricane Helene made landfall, the U.S., 1.6 million customers were still in the dark on Tuesday morning. The vast majority of that number are residents of the western Carolinas and eastern Georgia. North Carolina outages have slowly been ticking downwards, but the state reported the same number at 9 a.m. on Tuesday as it did at 7 a.m. on Monday, according to PowerOutage.US.

Twenty-six counties are still 60 to 100 percent offline. At the peak of the storm, 4.8 million customers lost power, the largest concurrent number since Hurricane Irma in 2017.

5,000 trees

Georgia Power said Hurricane Helene was the most destructive storm in the state's history, with more than 5,000 power poles needing repair or replacement and 425 miles of wire needing to be restrung. Duke Power confirmed over 6,000 poles down in northwest South Carolina. Numbers from North Carolina are not yet available.

33 tornadoes

An EF3 tornado spun up by Hurricane Helene on Friday injured 15 people, some critically, in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. It was one of 33 tornado reports during the storm. The National Weather Service has confirmed at least a dozen tornadoes so far.

5,785 Guardsmen

A total of 5,785 National Guardsmen have been deployed in the southeastern states, according to the Pentagon. This includes boots on the ground as well as helicopters, drones, search and rescue teams and high-water vehicles.

209 warnings

The National Weather Service issued 209 flash flood warnings during Hurricane Helene. That number includes 36 flash flood emergency statements, 29 of which were issued on Friday. That smashes the previous record number of 12 flash flood emergencies issued in one day.

36.65 inches of rain

An unofficial rainfall report attributed to a NWS cooperative observer at Jonas Ridge, North Carolina, reported more than 3 feet of rain from Hurricane Helene. An AccuWeather Ambient Weather rain gauge at Jeter Mountain calculated 32.51 inches during the storm. The highest official total the National Weather Service has reported so far is 30.78 inches at Busick, North Carolina.

10.18 feet

The French Broad River near Asheville rose more than 10 feet beyond its previous record. The river gauge has been in operation for at least 23 years. At least four river gauges in the Asheville area surpassed their previous height records during Hurricane Helene.

106 mph at 6,684 feet

The second-highest wind gust from Hurricane Helene was recorded on top of Mount Mitchell, North Carolina, more than 430 miles from landfall. The peak's unique height, at 6,684 feet, poked up into the storm's higher winds that weren't observed on the ground at lower elevations. The highest wind gust, 107 miles per hour, was measured by a buoy offshore from Florida's west coast.

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