Hurricanes ravage the Southern states
On the night of Sept. 26, Hurricane Helene, a category 4 storm, touched down on the Big Bend of Florida and has since made its way through the rest of Florida and into Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. The resulting total destruction spans over 500 miles. Since it hit, around 232 deaths have been recorded as of late October and the destruction to suburban and city areas has been staggering.
The Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale gives parameters for each hurricane category, defining the wind speed for each hurricane type. Category 4 hurricanes reach wind speeds of 130-156 mph, and a category 3 hurricane reaches wind speeds of 111-129 mph. Based on this scale, Helene is the deadliest mainland hurricane since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Not only did the winds of Hurricane Helene ravage homes, buildings and land, but storm surges caused billions of dollars of water damage to homes and buildings, with surges in Florida’s Big Bend reaching up to 15 feet, and rainfall reaching levels over a foot in 48 hours in parts of Georgia, as well as North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Two million people across the southern states were left without power or water for days following Hurricane Helene, and tornadoes subsequently formed in several Southern states.
Hurricane Milton landed on the Siesta Key of Florida as a category 3 hurricane on Oct. 9. When forming over the Gulf Coast, Hurricane Milton was categorized as a category 5 hurricane, but when it first hit the mainland, its wind speeds reached 120 mph, but as the hurricane moved farther inland, wind speeds decreased and the category was lowered to a category 1. After passing straight through the state, Hurricane Milton’s status was decreased to a tropical storm as it traveled into the Atlantic Ocean.
While it may seem irregular for two hurricanes to hit at the same time, this is not the first occurrence of such a deadly combination. In 2005, when Hurricane Katrina hit, it was followed by two other storms, also reaching category 5 status. Hurricanes Rita and Wilma hit at the same time, with all three hurricanes accounting for 1,392 deaths. Hurricane Helene is slowly growing towards similar stats and is said to be the most dangerous and destruction-inflicting storm since Katrina in 2005.
