Written by Spoorthy Yellari
Edited by Anahitha Raffe Sofia
As Hurricane Helene spiraled into North Carolina, it left the beautiful mountainous landscape demolished, leaving hundreds of people stranded, missing, displaced, and even dead.
In early October 2024, Helene had made an appearance, it was only classified as a category 3 hurricane, yet meteorologists considered it as one of the worst in the last century. With its winds of 115 miles per hour, it is one of the worst storms North Carolina has ever experienced. Along with heavy winds and rainfall, this hurricane brought extreme flooding. Most residents barely had 24 hours to evacuate, and the rocky terrain made it no easier to reach safety.
This hurricane was one of the most deadly to hit North Carolina killing 99 people, with 96 missing. This is a very tragic natural disaster that caused many families to be torn apart, and grieve their loss of loved ones.
North Carolina's emergency services faced the challenges posed by Hurricane Helene with a preventative approach. Before the storm, there were evacuation orders and public safety awareness campaigns. Post-storm, local and state officials worked diligently to coordinate rescue and recovery efforts. The lessons learned from previous hurricanes, informed response strategies, emphasizing the importance of infrastructure improvements and community preparedness.
Although this hurricane was extremely devastating, it provided crucial knowledge and preparedness for many future hurricanes and disasters.
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