On Sept. 24, Hurricane Helene brought widespread devastation to the Southeast region of the United States. It topped the record for the deadliest hurricane to strike the Big Bend region of Florida, which was previously held by Hurricane Maria in 2017, and the record for the strongest hurricane to hit the US mainland since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Along its path of destruction were the states of Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, the last being fairly unaccustomed to hurricanes of this magnitude.
“I was really shocked when I first heard the news,” Jaewon Hwang (11), former Georgia resident, said. “It was relieving to hear that my close friends and family back in Georgia were all safe and sound. Georgia’s geography is pretty resilient to natural disasters like hurricanes compared to the likes of Florida and North Carolina; back when Hurricane Katrina hit Georgia, there was barely any effect apart from the harsh rain.”
Prior to the hurricane’s expected landfall, the governors of Florida and Georgia declared a state of emergency for their respective states, encouraging people to board up their windows and take additional precautions to minimize potential damages. Unbeknownst to them at the time, the sub-tropical southern areas of the Azore Islands, where Hurricane Helene was formed, served as favorable breeding grounds for hurricanes. The favorable weather conditions led to the intensification of Hurricane Helene, amplifying its already substantial destructive propensities. After the hurricane’s dissipation on Sept. 29, local municipal governments and public services have attributed over 200 untimely deaths to the natural disaster.
Compared to the past, the US government made appropriate technical decisions to address its previous hurricane issues. By stopping multiple queued train transportation routes and calling for the cancellation of all major public gatherings, the government effectively avoided a prospective humanitarian crisis. In future events, the authorities are sure to employ similar disaster prevention tactics to curtail the number of casualties.
