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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.
NEWLAND, NORTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 18: A home that was damaged in Hurricane Helene is seen on September 18, 2025 in Newland, North Carolina. Hurricane Helene struck western North Carolina on September 27, 2024, causing at least 108 confirmed deaths in the state, with several people still unaccounted for.(Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images) NEWLAND, NORTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 18: A truck drives across a river to their home on September 18, 2025 in Newland, North Carolina. Hurricane Helene destroyed the bridge connecting this community to the main road, leaving residents to cross by foot or ford the river. Emergency vehicles and propane deliveries cannot reach the area. Hurricane Helene struck western North Carolina on September 27, 2024, causing at least 108 confirmed deaths in the state, with several people still unaccounted for.(Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images) BURNSVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 18: A new home is built for Sherry Housley on September 18, 2025 in Burnsville, North Carolina. Sherry Housley lost everything when a wall of debris from Hurricane Helene burst onto her Yancey County home, leaving it filled with feet of water, cars, mailboxes and even a washing machine. After months of living in an old school bus, tents and storing belongings in yurts, volunteers from Mountain Heritage High School's carpentry team and Rebuilding Hollers are in the process of building her a new house that Sherry has named "Gracie." Though she mourns her old home, her possessions and heirlooms from her parents and grandparents, Sherry says she has gained something far greater; hundreds of new "family members" through the volunteers who have helped her start over. "I sit here and I just imagine being able to decorate for Christmas this year, and what it will feel like to sit in there and look at the first snow, and just start a new life in my Gracie. It's been a long journey." Sherry says. Hurricane Helene struck western North Carolina on September 27, 2024, causing at least 108 confirmed deaths in the state, with several people still unaccounted for.(Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images) ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 17: Damage from Hurricane Helene is seen in a Moe's restaurant on September 17, 2025 in Asheville, North Carolina. Hurricane Helene struck western North Carolina on September 27, 2024, causing at least 108 confirmed deaths in the state, with several people still unaccounted for.(Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images) SWANNANOA, NORTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 17: A building that was damaged by Hurricane Helene in 2024 is seen on September 17, 2025 in Swannanoa, North Carolina. Hurricane Helene struck western North Carolina on September 27, 2024, causing at least 108 confirmed deaths in the state, with several people still unaccounted for.(Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images) 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.