- The devastating tropical storm “Helene” killed at least 89 people in the southeast of the USA.
- The US Weather Service warned of “historic and catastrophic” flooding.
- “Helene” made landfall in Florida on Thursday as a hurricane in the second highest category (4 out of 5), but has since weakened to a tropical storm.
- Hurricane “John” has now left a path of destruction and caused deaths, especially in Mexico.
Around three million people in the USA are without power, houses have been destroyed and entire towns have been flooded. “Helene” made landfall around 70 kilometers southeast of the city of Tallahassee on Thursday evening (local time) with wind speeds of 225 km/h. The tropical storm is now moving further north across the Appalachians.
“Helene” brought extreme rainfall and catastrophic flooding. The US weather service now expects the weather situation to improve. Many victims were killed or injured by fallen trees, while others died in their cars. In Florida, a woman drowned in her home, according to CNN.
Hurricane “Helene”
In North Carolina, authorities warned that a dam could burst and urged residents to seek safety. Civil protection warned of landslides and mudslides as a result of the heavy rain. Numerous roads were washed out and are closed in the affected regions. According to data from the website Poweroutrage.us, over 900,000 customers were without power in Florida alone.
President Biden promises quick help
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US President Joe Biden has promised help with reconstruction in view of the devastation caused by “Helene” in the southeast of the USA. This will “take a long time,” according to a statement from Biden that the White House published on Sunday night. “But you can be sure that my government will be by your side every step of the way.”
Biden wants to ensure that families, businesses, schools, hospitals and communities can begin rebuilding quickly.
Helene is the 14th strongest hurricane on record in the United States and the seventh strongest hurricane to hit Florida.
Floods and power outages in Cuba
In the past few days, “Helene” has already caused numerous floods and power outages in Cuba. Severe flooding cut off several towns on the Caribbean island from the outside world. Fields were destroyed in the agriculturally important Pinar del Río region in western Cuba.
The governors of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia have now also declared states of emergency in their states.
Hurricane “John” rages in Mexico
Storm “John” hit the coast of the Mexican state of Guerrero on Monday as a Category 3 out of 5 hurricane with sustained wind speeds of up to 195 km/h. After weakening, the storm developed again into a Category 1 hurricane off the coast of the state of Michoacán, according to the US Hurricane Center.
After persistent rain and severe flooding since the beginning of the week, more and more houses in southern Mexico are collapsing due to landslides and masses of water are taking cars away. At least five people were killed and hundreds of homes were damaged, the government said.
The airport in the seaside resort of Acapulco, which was hit eleven months ago by the devastating hurricane “Otis”, is under water – and the rain continues.
