Remembering Hurricane Helene: 230 lives lost, billions in damages
Hurricane Helene anniversary
it has been nearly a year since the devasting Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Florida panhandle, tearing through North Georgia, and causing massive flooding in western North Carolina.
ATLANTA - It has been one year since Hurricane Helene tore across the Southeast, leaving behind devastation not seen since Hurricane Katrina. The Category 4 storm made landfall near Tampa, Florida, before tearing into South Georgia with punishing winds and flooding rains.
What we know:
The human toll was staggering. More than 230 people died across six states, including 33 in Georgia. Communities are still healing, with many families marking this week with memorials for loved ones lost.
Beyond the lives claimed, Helene decimated the state’s economy. A University of Georgia assessment estimated $6.5 billion in damage to agriculture and timber. Poultry houses, pecan orchards, and nurseries suffered some of the heaviest losses, leaving farmers with long recovery timelines that in many cases stretched well beyond the 2024 harvest season.
While Helene’s destruction dominated headlines last year, another storm, Hurricane Gabrielle, also grabbed attention. Gabrielle briefly surged into a Category 4 in the Atlantic before weakening near Bermuda. Its remnants brushed the Azores but ultimately spared the U.S.
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What's next:
Today, as the Gulf and Atlantic enter another peak hurricane season, Georgia residents and farmers reflect on Helene’s lessons — and brace for what the next storm could bring.