Rising Death Toll from Hurricane Helene Now at 189

Hurricane Helene now has the unfortunate distinction of being the second-deadliest hurricane in the U.S. over the last 50 years, only coming behind Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Here is an inside look at the staggering numbers coming in as recovery efforts continue.

Death Toll Attributed to Helene Inches Up

As of Wednesday afternoon, the death toll from Hurricane Helene now stands at 189. North Carolina is reporting the most fatalities at 95. South Carolina officials have confirmed 39 deaths while Georgia is blaming the storm for 25 fatalities. Despite being the spot of landfall, Florida came in with just 19 deaths. Tennessee is reporting nine lives lost with Virginia confirming two.

At least 600 people are still reported as missing in Buncombe County, home to the hardest-hit community of Asheville. This community experienced heavy rain for days, washing out roads and bridges that has made the recovery process exceptionally challenging.

While the hurricane made landfall on the Florida Gulf Coast, the heaviest bands of rain set up over the southern Appalachians and the interior portions of the Southeast. An estimated 42 trillion gallons of rain unleashed across the region.

That is not to say that Florida escaped significant destruction at the hands of the Category 4 storm. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) estimated that Helene's storm surge hit at least 15 feet near Keaton Beach, Steinhatchee, and Horseshoe Beach, Florida. The one tidal gauge located near the point of landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida recorded a storm surge of 9.3 feet, easily surpassing the previous record of 6.9 feet set during the 2023 landfall of Hurricane Idalia.

The storm also produced reports of 33 tornadoes. At least one dozen twisters as a result of Helene have been confirmed by the National Weather Service (NWS). The largest tornado was rated as an EF3 event, spinning up on Friday in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. At least 15 people were injured by this twister.