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Destruction caused by Hurricane Helene

Destruction caused by Hurricane Helene

Hurricane Helene is one of the strongest storms to hit the United States, with wind gusts of 140 mph (225 km/h).

The storm reached Florida as a category four hurricane, but was downgraded to a tropical storm as it moved further inland.

Megan Varner/Getty Images A car is submerged in floodwaters in the Buckhead area of ​​Atlanta, GeorgiaMegan Varner/Getty Images
@SiliconBassist/X via REUTERS A residential street in St. Petersburg, Florida is flooded@SiliconBassist/X via REUTERS

Across the region, many people would wake up to find damage from flooding.

Jonathan Drake/Reuters Floods pour over the Guy Ford Road bridge on the Watauga River as Hurricane Helene approaches the mountains of North Carolina Jonathan Drake/Reuters
Sean Rayford/Getty Images A flooded street in Steinhatchee, FloridaSean Rayford/Getty Images
Joe Raedle/Getty Images Flooding in Tarpon Springs, FloridaJoe Raedle/Getty Images

The main street of Tarpon Springs, Florida was flooded.

Tampa Bay Times/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock A home at the Harbor Lights Club mobile home park in Pinellas County after Hurricane Helene Tampa Bay Times/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock

This Harbor Lights Club mobile home was heavily damaged by the storm and many power lines were down.

Marco Bello/Reuters In Crawfordville, Florida, power lines and fallen trees lay on the groundMarco Bello/Reuters
Lee County Sheriff's Office/Handout via REUTERS Marine deputies prepare for a rescue as Hurricane Helene approaches Fort Myers Beach, FloridaLee County Sheriff’s Office/Handout via REUTERS

Emergency response teams like these Marine deputies were on hand to rescue those who needed help.

Below, a hovercraft is transporting residents rescued from floodwaters due to storm surge in the Crystal River.

    Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock A hovercraft transports residents rescued from floodwaters caused by a storm surge in the Crystal River Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock
US Coast Guard/Handout via REUTERS A US Coast Guard crew rescues a man and his dog during Hurricane Helene after his sailboat became disabled and began taking on water off Sanibel Island, Florida US Coast Guard/Handout via REUTERS

Offshore, a man and his dog were rescued by the US Coast Guard, while a capsized boat washed ashore in St. Petersburg.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images A capsized boat washes ashore in Saint Petersburg, FloridaJoe Raedle/Getty Images
Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images Charles Starling, a lineman with Team Fishel, is pelted by rain as he walks past a row of electric trucks lined up in a field in The Villages, Florida Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Before it hit, the storm had already caused power outages for more than a million people and severe flooding in several areas.

In the picture, Duke Energy trucks were lined up waiting to repair damage once the hurricane passed.

Octavio Jones/Reuters Amber Hardin, 27, spends time with her dog Ducky while sheltering from Hurricane Helene at Leon High School near downtown Tallahassee, Florida Octavio Jones/Reuters

Before the hurricane, many residents moved into emergency shelters like this one at a school in Tallahassee.

Kathleen Flynn/Reuters Lindsay Smith, her four-month-old son Maze Crawford and mother Dieonne Smith wait for the arrival of Hurricane Helene at Lincoln High School, which has opened as an emergency shelter in Tallahassee, FloridaKathleen Flynn/Reuters
    Cristóbal Herrera/EPA-EFE People cover windows with plywood as the city prepares for Hurricane Helene in Mayo, Florida Cristóbal Herrera/EPA-EFE

President Joe Biden and state authorities had urged people to heed official evacuation warnings before Helene struck, although some decided to stay in their homes to wait out the storm.

People boarded up windows and prepared their property as best they could.

    Cristóbal Herrera/EPA-EFE People board up windows to prepare for Hurricane Helene in Old Town Florida Cristóbal Herrera/EPA-EFE

Those who decided to stock up on food to wait out the storm.

    Cristóbal Herrera/EPA-EFE People buy groceries at a supermarket with windows covered in plywood as the city in Old Florida prepares for Hurricane Helene Cristóbal Herrera/EPA-EFE
Hurricanes
United States

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