"On Thursday night Helene crashed into Florida’s coast as a Category 4 hurricane. The giant storm with 140-mile-per-hour winds made landfall close to where Hurricane Debby hit in August and where Idalia struck just over a year ago. It quickly made its way inland, knocking out power for millions. And even before that, it started dumping rain — now 12 to 15 inches across a swath of Georgia and South Carolina, and a stunning 29-plus inches in Busick, North Carolina.
The disaster underscores Americans’ dangerously low levels of flood insurance coverage, especially away from coastal areas.
Massive flooding is being reported across the South and into Appalachia, with photos and videos showing towns from Florida to North Carolina underwater."
Leslie Kaufman and Brian K Sullivan report for Bloomberg Green September 27, 2024.