Over a week has passed since the devastation of Hurricane Helene, and the southern side of the United States is still trying to regain its footing. Across six states, Helene has so far caused 213 deaths, with over 200 people still unaccounted for in North Carolina. Helene is considered one of the deadliest hurricanes to hit the United States since Hurricane Katrina. (Steve Almasy, CNN.)
The number of unaccounted people has set many families on edge, and each person is worried sick about their missing friend or family member. William Malgraf, who lives in Hendersonville, south of Asheville, lost contact during the storm, and his nephew, Joe Simpson, expressed immense concern. “I was scared,” Simpson admitted, “Worried, sad, concerned, I mean, all the emotions you would have not knowing where a loved one is. All the reports of damage and flooding…seeing the death tolls…I honestly thought the worst.” When asked about how his uncle was found, Simpson said there were several disaster recovery lists provided, and he used those to locate his uncle. He was beyond relieved when he got a call later in the week, revealing his uncle to be alive and well.
North Carolina and South Carolina were two states that were hit hard by the hurricane, with major flooding and roof damage affecting many families and their way of life. Numerous roads are still shut down, and some areas have become so isolated that emergency supplies have been dropped off via air and mule.
Meanwhile, in Georgia, more than 260,000 people are still without power. Georgia’s National Guard has sent out over 2,000 people to help with recovery efforts, but many campuses in Southeast Georgia are still closed. Here’s a website for all the schools which are still closed or have moved to online classes: WJCL ABC.
Over in Valdosta, people are beginning to remove debris from the hurricane. Hundreds of trees have fallen on roofs and across sidewalks and roads, completely cutting off travel. Several buildings have experienced extensive roof damage, with the “most significant damage at Powell Hall, Farbar Hall, the Fine Arts Building” along with numerous others. But along with the damage, there is good news: the Valdosta Daily Times claims classes are scheduled to resume on Monday, Oct. 7.
