Hurricane Helene Devastates North Carolina County

Facts

• Hurricane Helene ravaged the southeastern United States this weekend, killing more than 100 people across six states, and leaving millions without power or access to communications.^[1]
• A large-scale rescue effort is underway in Buncombe County, North Carolina, with more than 1K people reported missing in the area. Emergency services have already rescued over 200 people from flooding, with authorities saying that the death toll is expected to rise.^[2]
• Residents have been instructed to boil water due to the flooding contaminating water systems. Officials are continuing to distribute emergency food, water, and supplies​.^[3]
• Over 700K people were left without power in North Carolina, while about 100K outages were reported in Buncombe County. Many gas stations were closed due to a lack of electricity, and landslides, fallen trees, and powerlines blocked multiple roadways.^[4]
• Hurricane Helene, the strongest storm on record to strike Florida's Big Bend, made landfall in Florida on Thursday, before it made its way northward into Georgia, the Carolinas, and Tennessee. Most of the fatalities occurred in North and South Carolina.^[5]
• The National Guard, along with emergency workers from 19 states, have been deployed to help relief efforts in North Carolina. Pres. Joe Biden is expected to visit the state later this week, and could call on Congress to pass supplemental aid funding .^[1]

Sources: ^[1]Reuters, ^[2]NC DPS, ^[3]Daily Express US, ^[4]North Carolina State Climate Office and ^[5]BBC News.

Narratives

• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Daily Express US. High rates of fatalities, slow recovery efforts, and an overwhelming number of power outages and water supply issues show that local and state officials were largely unprepared for the magnitude of this storm. The government's lack of preparedness measures left many communities vulnerable.
• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by NC DPS. This was an unprecedented storm which could never have been fully prepared for. While state and local authorities did their best, the magnitude and damage of this event was greater than expected. Emergency responders made efforts to respond to the crises as soon as they could, but the historic nature of this storm made it hard to mitigate the damage.

Predictions