Hurricane Horrors: Helene Death Toll Rises To 160

As flooding continues in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, communities are slowly starting to pick up the pieces from the major damage caused by the storm. North Carolina has been hit unusually hard as a state unused to experiencing primary effects of hurricanes, with the death toll in Asheville, North Carolina, alone rising to 57 on Tuesday.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper told reporters that his constituents are “inspiring” and that the state government will “have their back.” The total death toll from the storm is currently at 162 and still rising. Hundreds of thousands in Florida, Georgia, West Virginia, and Virginia have also been affected by the storm in addition to the over 1 million Americans experiencing power outages in the states of North and South Carolina.

Originally making land as a Category 4 storm on Florida’s Gulf Coast, Helene was unusually resilient as it drifted northward towards other southeastern states that are not as insulated from hurricane effects as the coastal states of Florida and Georgia.

Homeland Security Director Mayorkas addressed the storm earlier this week, and President Biden, who has largely remained outside of the public spotlight in recent weeks, will participate in a flyover tour of damaged areas.

The hurricane highlights a growing pattern of extreme and irregular weather events that some partially attribute to the effects of climate change, although definitive proof of this correlation is scarce.