Hurricane Helene 2024

by Meghan McDevitt, October 11, 2024


Two weeks ago, Hurricane Helene barreled 500 miles inland across six states (Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia), creating a path of destruction. Prior to making landfall, Helene was sporadic and intensified rapidly, upgrading from a Category 2 to a Category 4 hurricane in just 12 hours on Thursday, September 26th. While the hurricane grew in the gulf, another storm front stalled above southern Appalachia, dumping heavy rain and saturating the ground beneath. To make matters worse, Helene shifted off the National Hurricane Center's projected course, moving directly toward the Appalachian region. All of these forces would come together to result in one of the worst natural disasters to this area.

Helene made landfall late Thursday, September 26th, bringing with it 10 foot storm surges, heavy wind, and swaths of rain. The storm moved northward quickly, and by Friday morning, those in the Carolinas woke up to unimaginable flooding and widespread destruction. Those within the path of the hurricane received well over a foot of rain, with some mountain towns, like Spruce Pine, recording 20-30 inches in rain. As water rushed down the mountains, creeks and rivers swelled, resulting in 30-foot flood walls carrying boulders, houses, vehicles, livestock, and much more straight through towns and roadways. With sustained wind speeds above 140 mph (Mt. Mitchell, NC recorded wind speeds over 100 mph), more than 20 tornadoes were reported across five states. Powerlines, property, highways, and entire neighborhoods were destroyed by the strong winds, downed trees, landslides, and flooding. Within a 24-hour period, close to 1 million households were without power and most lost cellular service or internet access as well - removing any means of communicating with loved ones or the outside world.

​By September 28th, Hurricane Helene was declared a natural disaster and public health emergency. Most were not prepared for the intensity of the storm and lacked essential food and water the first few days. Thankfully, aid came quickly to the larger cities, like Asheville, but accessing the more remote towns, given the mountain landscape and wreckage, is nearly impossible. Rescue and recovery efforts are still ongoing. Sadly, many residents were displaced and/or had to evacuated due to damages and living conditions. Even two weeks in, the region is still without basic necessities, like running water, power, and internet access. Officials say the storm has caused over $30 billion in damages, and it will take months, if not years, to rebuild much of Western North Carolina. Destroyed bridges and roadways cut off the only way in and out for entire towns. As of today, Hurricane Helene is the deadliest hurricane to strike mainland U.S. since Katrina in 2005, with over 200 deaths reported thus far. This 1,000-year event maimed the beautiful region of southern Appalachia and the scar will be evident for a long time.

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Many parks and outdoor spaces were in the path of the hurricane and experienced varying degrees of damage. For Kids in Parks, the sites impacted include:

  • 4 TRACK Trails in Florida
  • 1 Disc Golf Course in Georgia
  • 3 TRACK Trails in Tennessee
  • 2 Pump Tracks, 6 Disc Golf Courses, & 46 TRACK Trails in North Carolina
  • 24 TRACK Trails in South Carolina
  • 12 TRACK Trails in Virginia

The KIP Team is checking in with partners and assessing damages across our network. We encourage all Trail TRACKers to check with local ordinances and trail systems to determine whether a TRACK Trail is closed or accessible. Unfortunately, the Blue Ridge Parkway took a major hit and will be closed for the foreseeable future (the Virginia portion of the parkway opened back up to the public on October 11th). Most TRACK Trails in Western North Carolina were severely impacted and may need new signage and/or trail reconstruction. All North Carolina State Parks in the western region are closed through the end of the year.

On a personal note, Asheville, North Carolina is home to many of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation staff and the headquarters for Kids in Parks. We are heartbroken by the devastation to our region, but are encouraged by the support and resilience pouring out of our community. Our hearts go out to all those impacted by Helene, and we appreciate your patience as we focus on rebuilding and getting back to normal. Fortunately, our office was unscathed, so prize orders and shipments will resume shortly. If you feel moved to support, you can donate to Kids in Parks or the organization as a whole on the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation website. In this time of devastation and uncertainty, the ability to retreat into nature, even for an hour or two, is such a valuable resource. We know nature is healing and hope our TRACK Trail families impacted by the storm can find their way back to a trail soon. 💞

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© Mike Stewart

Resources:

Sources:

  • Breed, A. G. (2024, October 5). Inside the north carolina mountain town that hurricane helene nearly wiped off the map. The Press Democrat. https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/inside-the-north-carolina-mountain-town-that-hurricane-helene-nearly-wiped/
  • Overton, R. (2024, September 28). North Carolina rainfall totals from Helene. CBS 17. https://www.cbs17.com/news/north-carolina-news/north-carolina-rainfall-totals-from-helene/
  • Sanchez, Ray. (2024, October 6). ‘The power of water.’ How Helene devastated western North Carolina and left communities in ruins. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/06/us/how-helene-devastated-western-north-carolina/index.html
  • Sarnoff, L. & D. Amarante (2024, October 5). Tracking Hurricane Helene’s destruction: Path, storm surge and rescue efforts. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/US/tracking-hurricane-helenes-destruction-path-storm-surge-rescue/story?id=114471845
  • North Carolina Red Cross. (2024, October 11). Red Cross Continues Helping People Living with Hurricane Helene’s Devastation. American Red Cross. https://www.redcross.org/local/north-carolina/about-us/news-and-events/news/red-cross-continues-helping-people-living-with-hurricane-helene-.html
  • AP Photo Editors. (2024, October 1). Photo Collection: Hurricane Helene. AP News. https://apnews.com/world-news/weather-general-news-domestic-news-1a071b5de822e51f741a193374a49c26