So long and Farewell to Historic Helen

Nearly a month ago, Hurricane Helen made landfall in the Big Bend area as a Category 4 hurricane and remained a hurricane all the way through Southeast and Middle Georgia. It caused billions of dollars in damage and left 1.3 million Georgia residents without power. Georgia’s Governor, Brian Kemp, stated, “This storm literally spared no one. It looked like a 250-mile-wide tornado had hit.”[1] He wasn’t wrong. Many Georgia residents in the path of the hurricane woke up on Friday morning without power, as downed power lines, poles, and fallen trees littered yards and blocked roadways. It was a disaster zone.

Georgia and Florida weren’t the only states affected by Helen's wrath. The hurricane continued through the Carolinas, Tennessee, Virginia, and even up to Ohio, causing damage wherever it went. Many communities in these areas were unaware of the catastrophe Helen would bring and were left unprepared for this historic hurricane.

On Monday, September 23, 2024, weather YouTuber Ryan Hall Y’all published a video titled, “The Biggest Storm of the Year is Coming” In this video, Ryan alerted his viewers to a potential hurricane threat forming in the Caribbean. At that point, the storm was known as Tropical Cyclone 9, but it was predicted to quickly develop into a possible Category 4 hurricane. While the storm's path was still uncertain, early predictions indicated it could hit Florida's Big Bend area late Thursday or early Friday. Models also showed the storm maintaining hurricane strength well into Georgia, before weakening into a tropical storm as it moved into Middle Georgia.[2]

Image of Tropical Cyclone 9, which is expected to become Hurricane Helene on Monday, September 23, 2024. The photo is courtesy of wvua 23.

The following day, Tuesday, Ryan Hall posted another video titled, “This Storm Just Keeps Getting Bigger.” In this update, Helene was still a tropical storm but was quickly approaching hurricane status. By then, the predictions had become more precise, showing that Helene’s path would extend into the Ohio Valley. Forecasts also suggested the Carolinas would face flash flood warnings. In this video, Ryan mentioned he believed Helene would track further east than other models were predicting, while The Weather Channel and many local stations showed a more westerly path.[3]

The photos below show a more western path of Helen:

Reported by Fox 5 New York, this footage captures the westward trajectory of Hurricane Helene on September 26, 2024, at 8:24 PM EDT.

However, when Helene made landfall in Keaton Beach, FL, at 11:10 PM, she unexpectedly shifted eastward, striking cities and towns that had believed they were on the edge of the storm's path. One such town, Dublin, in Middle Georgia, was hit not by a tropical storm but by a Category 1 hurricane! While Dublin is no stranger to tropical storms and tornadoes, a hurricane was unprecedented. Between 3:00 and 3:30 AM on Friday, Helene made her presence known in Middle Georgia, with the eye passing through the area at 4:00 AM.[4] In her wake, she knocked down power lines and trees, leaving thousands without power for days. The storm's path had clearly shifted, impacting areas that hadn't anticipated such force.

The New York Times map illustrates a shift in the projected path as Helene moved further to the east.

In the weeks that followed, the wide-ranging impact of Hurricane Helene on the Southeastern United States became increasingly clear. She caused unprecedented flooding and damage, much of which is still being addressed today. While most of those affected have regained power and resumed their normal lives, the evidence of destruction remains. Driving through my hometown, I still see piles of limbs and branches waiting to be cleared. Road signs are knocked down, and many people in the community are still waiting for help to cut up the trees that were uprooted by the storm. Though Helene has come and gone, the hardest-hit communities are still picking up the pieces.

Yet the most tragic consequence of Helene is not the property damage or the destruction of homes and businesses, but the loss of life. Places and objects can be replaced, but people cannot. Helene claimed the lives of 250 people across the Southeast.[5] Our thoughts and prayers are with the families who lost loved ones. To all the volunteers, linemen, and first responders, thank you for your service—it has meant so much to those affected by the storm.

I would like to conclude with a final thought. One thing I have heard from people affected by Helene is that they were unprepared for the storm. I am not here to chastise anyone for being unprepared for such an unpredictable event, as I too was unprepared for the hurricane. But let us learn from our mistakes and be better prepared next time. As George Santayana famously said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."[6] Let us not repeat our mistakes. Having a plan in place for when a catastrophic event like this happens again is always better than being caught off guard.

[1] “Hurricane Helene Death Toll Rising,” Tri County Connector (Middle Georgia), October 2, 2024. Print.

[2] Ryan Hall, “The Biggest Storm of the Year is Coming,” September 23, 2024, weather video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBlbMliEd84.

[3] Ryan Hall, “This Storm Just Keeps Getting Bigger,” September 24, 2024, weather video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmejwPT52tc.  

[4] Kyle Dominy, Caleb Slinkard, and Payton Towns III, “Hell..ene: Historic Category 1 Hurricane Wreaks Havoc, Leaving Two Dead, Thousands Powerless in Laurens County” (Dublin, GA), September 28, 2024, print.

[5]Ahmad Hemingway and Emily Shapiro, “26 people remain unaccounted for in North Carolina following Hurricane Helene,” ABC News, https://abc7ny.com/weather/26-people-remain-unaccounted-for-in-nc-following-hurricane-helene/15454506/#:~:text=Helene%20destroyed%20homes%20and%20roads,in%20North%20Carolina%2C%20officials%20said.

[6] George Santayana, The Life of Reason, 1905. From the series Great Ideas of Western Man.

 Photos

Scott, Richard. Tropical Storm Tracker. September 23, 2024. From wvua 23. https://www.wvua23.com/breaking-soon-to-be-hurricane-helene-expected-to-be-a-major-hurricane-at-landfall-4pm-monday-update/

Stallone, Michael. Hurricane Helene Forecast Track. September 26, 2024. From Fox 5 NY. https://www.fox5ny.com/news/hurricane-helene-projected-path-tracker-weather.

Erden, Bora, June Kim, Elena Shao, Jeremy White. Hurricane Helene: Mapping More Than 600 Miles of Devastation. September 30, 2024. From New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/09/29/us/helene-path-map.html.

Melton, Audra. Flooded Atlanta. September 27, 2024. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/27/us/hurricane-helene-damage-florida-north-carolina.html.

Drake, Jonathon. Flooding in Boone, NC. September 27, 2024. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/27/us/hurricane-helene-damage-florida-north-carolina.html.

Tucker, Katie. A fallen tree hangs on power lines on Wesleyan Drive after Hurricane Helene. September 27, 2024. Macon Telegraph. https://www.macon.com/news/weather-news/article293216229.html#storylink=cpy.