Videos and this map reveal the extent of Helene’s destruction

The massive and powerful Hurricane Helene, with its devastating combination of water and wind, has carved a path of destruction from Florida to the Southern Appalachians. South Pasadena , Fla., Sept. 26 (City of South Pasadena / Facebook) St. Petersburg , Fla., Sept. 27 (Chris Zuppa) Treasure Island , Fla., Sept. 27 (Luis Velarde and Erin Patrick O’Connor/The Post) Tampa , Fla., Sept. 27 (Mayor Jane Castor via Storyful) Perry , Fla., Sept. 27 (Luis Velarde and Erin Patrick O’Connor/The Post) Siesta Key , Fla., Sept. 27 (Sarasota County via Storyful) Steinhatchee , Fla., Sept. 27 (Luis Velarde and Erin Patrick O’Connor/The Post) Helene swept inland in Florida’s Big Bend area with a record-breaking ocean surge that may have exceeded 15 feet, sweeping away homes and leveling businesses in coastal communities like Keaton Beach, Steinhatchee and Horseshoe Beach. Rising waters topped 6 feet in Tampa Bay, swamping vehicles and residences. Valdosta, Ga., Sept. 28 (John Falchetto/AFP/Getty Images) (John Falchetto/AFP/Getty Images) Valdosta , Ga., Sept. 28 (John Falchetto/AFP/Getty Images) Atlanta , Ga., Sept. 27 (Holly Gilbert via Storyful) Morrow, Ga., Sept. 27 (David Walter Banks) (David Walter Banks for The Washington Post) Morrow , Ga., Sept. 27 (David Walter Banks) In Georgia, downpours arrived more than a day before the storm. As Helene charged through the state Thursday night into Friday morning, at least half a foot of rain covered much of the state while gusts reached 50 to 80 mph, toppling trees and causing statewide flooding. Atlanta, particularly hard hit by flooding, saw its wettest two days on record Thursday and Friday. Asheville , N.C., Sept. 27 (Peter Berg via Storyful) Boone , N.C., Sept. 27 (ResortCams) Chimney Rock , N.C., Sept. 27 (Banff Luther via Storyful) North Cove , N.C., Sept. 28 (Julia Wall) Elkin , N.C., Sept. 27 (@creathir via Spectee) Greenville , S.C., Sept. 27 (@CityGreenville) The Southern Appalachians, about 400 miles north of where Helene came ashore, suffered the most severe destruction. Two waves of torrential rain unloaded as much as 30 inches in the mountains of North Carolina, unleashing catastrophic landslides while rivers soared to unprecedented levels and lakes overflowed. Extreme flooding was also reported in parts of western South Carolina, eastern Tennessee and southwest Virginia. In Erwin, Tenn., the Unicoi County Hospital didn’t have time to clear out Friday before the floods gushed in. Greeneville , Tenn., Sept. 28 (Tennessee Valley Authority via Storyful) Afton , Tenn., Sept. 27 (Landon Duckett via Storyful) Erwin , Tenn., Sept. 27 (Virginia State Police via Storyful) Hartford , Tenn., Sept. 27 (Tennessee DoT via Storyful) Niko Kommenda contributed to this report. – This Summarize was created by Neural News AI (V1). Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/interactive/2024/hurricane-helene-destruction-north-carolina/