Hurricane Helene hits millions: The US's 'great disaster' in photos
Hurricane Helene has been recorded as the greatest natural disaster the US has faced in recent years. While millions of people have been left without electricity in the regions affected by the hurricane, it has been determined that at least 189 people have died so far due to the storm.
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The U.S. National Hurricane Center reported last week that Hurricane Helene made landfall in the state of Florida with winds of 225 kilometers per hour.
Helene had also struck the states of Georgia, Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee in a short time.
In Florida, where the hurricane first made landfall, 1.2 million households were left without electricity. Meanwhile, power outages were reported in 1 million homes and businesses in Georgia, 1.3 million in South Carolina, and 600 thousand in North Carolina.
President Biden had declared a 'state of disaster' in Florida and North Carolina. The U.S. government had announced that 'federal aid' would be provided for those affected by the hurricane.
It has been stated that the death toll in the regions affected by the disasters caused by Hurricane Helene, which reached the coastline of the U.S. state of Florida last week, has reached 189.
The negative impacts of Hurricane Helene, which struck the Florida coast with 'Category 4' intensity, continue to affect the region.
Authorities stated that at least 189 people have lost their lives in the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Virginia, where the hurricane's severe winds and rainfall have been effective.
Officials from the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) also announced that more than 1,000 people are staying in shelters due to the disasters caused by Hurricane Helene.
Authorities reported that over 150 thousand households have applied for aid and that food and water supplies have been sent to the regions affected by the hurricane.
US President Joe Biden visited the states of North and South Carolina, which were most affected by Hurricane Helene, and promised to get the regions back on their feet as soon as possible.
Emphasizing that he has ordered the immediate deployment of 1,000 troops to the region and that all necessary support from the budget will be provided quickly, Biden promised to get the areas affected by the 'major disaster' back on their feet as fast as possible.
According to CNN, more than 600 missing persons reports were filed during the storm.
There has been no statement yet from official U.S. institutions regarding the missing persons cases.
According to a BBC report, search and rescue teams are struggling to reach most areas.
Floods and flash floods caused by the hurricane are preventing teams from conducting full-scale operations in the regions affected by the disaster.
The US government has drawn attention to the scale of the disaster, stating that it could take 'years' to erase the effects of the hurricane.
Helene has become one of the deadliest storms to hit the US in recent years. The death toll caused by the hurricane has surpassed that of Hurricane Ian, which claimed at least 156 lives in 2022.
Speaking to the BBC, an emergency official in Buncombe County stated that North Carolina is experiencing 'biblical devastation.'