Devastating aftermath of Hurricane Helene captured in tragic photos

Alex Mead

featured

Sep 30, 2024

Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region as a powerful Category 4 storm on September 26, 2024, causing extensive damage along the Gulf Coast before moving northward. The storm’s remnants led to catastrophic flooding and tornadoes in North Carolina, particularly in the western part of the state, where communities were cut off due to washed-out roads and power outages.

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Officer Nate Martir, a law enforcement officer from the Florida Fish Wildlife and Conservation Commission, holds an American flag that was lying on the ground amid debris, while patrolling from a high water capable swamp buggy, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in Cedar Key, Florida, September 27, 2024.

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A local resident helps free a car that became stranded in a stretch of flooded road as Tropical Storm Helene strikes, on the outskirts of Boone, North Carolina, U.S. September 27, 2024. REUTERS

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Men inspect the damage from flooding in the Biltmore Village in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 28, 2024 in Asheville, North Carolina. Getty Images

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Drone view shows a damaged area in Swannanoa, North Carolina, September 29, 2024. REUTERS

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ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA – SEPTEMBER 29: A van is partially submerged in the Swannanoa River in the Biltmore Village in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 29, 2024 in… Getty Images

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Drone view shows a damaged area in Asheville, North Carolina, September 29, 2024. REUTERS

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A drone view shows a flooded and damaged area following Hurricane Helene in Horseshoe Beach, Florida. REUTERS

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Rex Liberman moves his refrigerator outside before emptying it as he cleans out his house after it was flooded by Hurricane Helene in Steinhatchee, Florida, U.S., September 29, 2024. REUTERS/Kathleen… REUTERS

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Drone view shows a damaged area in Asheville, North Carolina, September 29, 2024. REUTERS

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Power crews work on the lines after Hurricane Helene passed offshore on September 27, 2024 in Crystal River, Florida.

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Drone view shows a damaged area in Asheville, North Carolina, September 29, 2024. REUTERS

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A Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater helicopter crew rescued a man and dog from a disabled and taking-on-water 36-foot sailing vessel 25 miles off Sanibel Island, Florida, on Sept. 26, 2024. Petty Officer 2nd Class Hudson, an aviation survival technician from Air Station Clearwater, hoisted the man and his dog, who were reportedly in good health and taken to Southwest Florida International Airport to meet with EMS. via REUTERS

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Drone view shows a damaged area in Asheville, North Carolina, September 29, 2024. REUTERS

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Drone view shows a damaged area in Swannanoa, North Carolina, September 29, 2024. REUTERS

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Search and rescue teams comb the grounds at the Riverview Industrial Park on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Erwin, Tennessee. Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Drone view shows a damaged area in Asheville, North Carolina, September 29, 2024. REUTERS

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Dustin Bentley, center, kisses his wife Jennifer Bentley, left, after retrieving family photos from their flood-damaged home in the aftermatch of Hurricane Helene as his mother Janet Sams looks on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Newport, Tennessee.

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Flood damage caused by the storm that started as Hurricane Helene covering streets in Erwin, Tennessee, September 28, 2024. BILLY BOWLING/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

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Heavy rains from Hurricane Helene caused record flooding and damage on September 28, 2024 in Asheville, North Carolina. Getty Images

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The Rocky Broad River flows into Lake Lure and overflows the town with debris from Chimney Rock, North Carolina. Getty Images

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Residents rescued from flood waters due to storm surge due from Hurricane Helene is seen on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 in Crystal River. ZUMAPRESS.com

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Drone view shows a damaged area in Asheville, North Carolina, September 29, 2024. REUTERS

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Boats are piled up in front of homes in Treasure Island, Florida. Getty Images

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People wait in line to pump gasoline in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 29, 2024 in Fletcher, North Carolina. Getty Images

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Debris is scattered and some homes ruined by Hurricane Helene on September 28, 2024 in Cedar Key, Florida. GREG LOVETT/THE PALM BEACH POST / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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A drone view shows a flooded and damaged area, following Hurricane Helene in Steinhatchee, Florida. REUTERS

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Cassandra Randall grabs food after Maddie’s grocery store was flooded and the manager told people to take what they want for free after Hurricane Helene flooded the place on September 27, 2024 in Steinhatchee, Florida. GREG LOVETT/THE PALM BEACH POST / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Hurricane Helene damage in Steinhatchee, Florida. REUTERS

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Rocky Broad River flows into Lake Lure and overflows the town with debris from Chimney Rock, North Carolina after heavy rains from Hurricane Helene on September 28, 2024, in Lake Lure, North Carolina. Getty Images

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workers clear the roads of sand and debris after Hurricane Helene hit the area with high surge waters as it passed offshore on September 28, 2024 in Treasure Island, Florida. Getty Images

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Foundations and steps to buildings that were destroyed by the storm surge from Hurricane Helene are seen along the shoreline in the aftermath of the storm, in Cedar Key, Florida. AP

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A van floats in floodwaters near the Biltmore Village in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 28, 2024 in Asheville, North Carolina. Getty Images

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St. Pete Beach, Florida, on Friday, September 27, 2024. Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office/UPI/Shutterstock

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Debris left by Hurricane Helene after making landfall are seen in Cedar Key, Florida. AFP via Getty Images

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Stunning home camera video captured Matt Heller paddling around his flooded Tampa living room in a kayak that he intended to use as an “escape plan” as Hurricane Helene’s historic storm surge “came out of nowhere.” Hillsborough County, Tampa, Florida. @mattfromhornblasters.com/TikTok

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Trees and debris lay on the beach as people walk after Hurricane Helene hit the area with high surge waters as it passed offshore on September 28, 2024 in Treasure Island, Florida.

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