A category 3 hurricane hit Florida in late September and developed into the deadliest hurricane since Katrina. Helene made landfall in Florida, and headed northeast where it ravaged Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee. The hurricane has caused approximately 225 to 250 billion dollars of damage with a death toll estimated to be 234, and many people are still missing. Helene’s winds reached speeds of 140 miles per hour and flooding has destroyed homes and businesses. Many still do not have clean running water a month later.
Helene had quickly developed and it was a whopping 400 miles wide. All eyes had been on Florida but the bulk of the devastation was inland. North Carolina is not a usual target for hurricanes, but it has been one of the most severely impacted areas. There were over 1,400 landslides in western North Carolina alone. They caused damage to roads, water systems, and bridges.
The small mountain city of Asheville in western North Carolina, specifically, has seen some of the worst effects of the hurricane. Brendan Reusing has lived in Asheville for over a decade and saw the effects of the Hurricane first hand. He owns a restaurant called All Souls Pizza.
When asked about the current state of Asheville, he said that some people still don’t have power, even as the hurricane was declared over on the 29th of September. There is also no access to clean running water. “There is no potable water for the whole city and most of the county. Some are using well water, if they have the power to run the pump,” he said. The tap water comes out yellow or brown and is not safe to drink or use in any other way. It is estimated that clean water will not be available until around December.
The economic impact of the hurricane in Asheville has been extreme and businesses will not be able to fully recover for a long time. Brendan’s restaurant is one of these businesses. All Souls Pizza was closed for a month and opened for one day recently to distribute to-go food. There was a loss of work and income for everyone working at the restaurant. “Money has been raised through gift certificate sales and employees have been encouraged to apply for every different disaster relief program that is available,” Brendan stated.
Hurricane Helene was one of two major hurricanes that formed in the Atlantic this past month. Hurricane Milton was another recent tropical cyclone that brought destruction to the coastline. Hurricanes have become stronger and this is thought to be a direct result of climate change. Warm water and air fuel hurricanes, making them more intense. Asheville’s devastation is an example of how weather is becoming unpredictable as a result of global warming and unfortunately, this will only become more common.
