Hurricane Helene, which recently swept through the Southeast, has left substantial damage in its wake. AP News reports that at least 40 people across Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and surrounding states have died as a result of the storm. The hurricane has since been downgraded to a tropical depression, and its lingering effects are expected to persist in the Tennessee Valley.
Among the staggering consequences of the natural disaster is the widespread loss of power, with nearly 4 million homes and businesses currently without electricity. "They told us our power won’t be back for the next three to seven days, if not longer," Ashley Allen, a former Arizona resident now living in Sylvania, GA, told ABC15. Many remain trapped in homes severely damaged by Helene, with South Carolina facing at least 17 fatalities attributed to the storm.
The aftermath has not only been marked by loss and destruction but also by a sense of camaraderie, as individuals from various states have stepped in to assist. According to ABC15, help has come from members of Arizona Task Force One and the Arizona Red Cross. They have embarked on a journey to the Southeast to aid with search, recovery, and cleanup operations. "The town is safe, it’s just like a warzone," Peggy Sickles, who resides in Hazlehurst, Georgia, described her surroundings in the aftermath of the hurricane.
