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Hurricane Helene, One Year On: Deadliest U.S. Storm Since Katrina, With Recovery Still Strained

NOAA counts at least 250 U.S. deaths and about $78.7 billion in damage, as more than 6,800 people in western North Carolina remain in temporary housing.

A photo looking down a muddy street, with construction equipment along the sides and workers in high-vis vests looking on.
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Remembering Hurricane Helene: 1 year later

Overview

  • Helene made landfall in Florida on Sept. 26, 2024 as a Category 4 with 140 mph winds and an expanding wind field that drove severe inland flooding into Georgia, the Carolinas, and East Tennessee.
  • East Tennessee saw record river crests, including 29.37 ft on the Pigeon River and 33.88 ft on the Nolichucky, with Douglas Lake rising more than 21 feet over three days.
  • Recovery remains uneven, with renters facing scarce options in hard‑hit areas like Cocke County as FEMA directed just under $14 million to local homeowners for repairs and flood insurance.
  • Individual hardships persist, including a Greene County veteran who lost his home to the Nolichucky, had an insurance claim denied for water damage, and later saw the foreclosed property sold at auction for $24,500.
  • Communities continue to rally, from a Roots and Reins festival in Newport honoring first responders to reports of clearer river water by local monitors and a $26,023.95 student fundraiser for Del Rio Elementary.