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Hurricane Helene ravaged the southeastern United States this week – commencing with a ferocious landfall along Florida’s Big Bend late Thursday evening followed by a march through Georgia that would’ve made Sherman green with envy. South Carolina was also battered by the storm – which ticked further to the east than forecasters anticipated, bringing with it hurricane-force winds, severe flooding and widespread power outages.
Helene officially made landfall at 11:10 p.m. EDT just east of the Aucilla River – approximately 10 miles south-southwest of Perry, Florida. At landfall, the storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 140 miles per hour. That made her a strong category four storm on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale. Helene’s central pressure dropped all the way to 938 millibars at landfall – one of the lowest landfall pressures ever recorded.
Impressively, Helene retained hurricane strength for more than five hours after landfall as it cut a two-hundred mile swath through the Florida panhandle and southern/central Georgia.
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At least seven deaths – including two in Anderson County, S.C. – have been reported already in connection with the storm. That number is likely to climb in the coming hours and days. Damages associated with this system will be in the billions – or possibly the tens of billions.
Meanwhile, as of 10:30 a.m. EDT, more than 4.3 million people in seven states were without power – including 1.3 million in South Carolina.
Below is our ongoing update of the system and its impacts…
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HURRICANE HELENE LIVE FEED
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6:25 p.m. EDT – In case you missed governor Henry McMaster‘s update this afternoon…
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6:18 p.m. EDT – The Waterville Dam in Newport, TN has suffered a catastrophic failure.
From Cocke County Mayor Rob Mathis:
— Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) (@TennesseeEMA) September 27, 2024
EMERGENCY ALERT: The Waterville Dam has suffered a catastrophic failure. Evacuation of all of Downtown Newport immediately. pic.twitter.com/T3AE5ekncx
Drone footage 2 hours ago of flooding of Newport TN before the breaking of the Waterville Dam. Max surge of Pigeon River will be in 3 hours according to Cocke County officials. Town may go completely underwater. Mandatory evacuations of all of downtown. pic.twitter.com/tdlb2kZ8p4
— BowTiedBroke (@BowTiedBroke) September 27, 2024
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6:08 p.m. EDT – Precipitation totals for the Charleston region have also been released. The highest total for this region was in Hampton, South Carolina which received 8.15 inches. We are still awaiting official data from the Columbia region.
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6:01 p.m. EDT – Summary data is beginning to come in from the National Weather Service (NWS). The precipitation accumulation amounts in the Upstate region are stunning.
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5:33 p.m. EDT– Stunning photo of I-40 East — or what’s left of it — between Tennessee and North Carolina.
Tri state area weather on Facebook just shared this.. I-40 East is gone between Tennessee and NC pic.twitter.com/pBsAA9XfFp
— Chris Hall, Y'all (@ChrisHallWx) September 27, 2024
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5:04 p.m. EDT – The latest on the Lake Lure Dam situation. According to Rutherford County emergency officials, “The Lake Lure Dam wall is holding, but water is flowing over and around it.”
Evacuations have been paused while additional high-clearance vehicles arrive on-site.
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5:01 p.m. EDT – Our friends at Blunt Force Media captured this video of Falls Park in downtown Greenville this morning.
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4:53 p.m. EDT – The latest numbers on power outages in South Carolina. The number has decreased a little since this morning when it stood at 1,383,026, but power outages are still widespread through the western parts of the state.
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3:20 p.m. EDT – Chief meteorologist Jon Porter over at Accuweather offered up the following overview of the impact of Hurricane Helene…
“This has been an absolutely devastating storm across the southeast U.S. We’re going to be dealing with significant impacts including catastrophic flooding over the next 48 hours. Extreme storm surge in Florida’s Big Bend washed away homes on the coastline. Substantial storm surge set new all-time tide gauge records in the Tampa Bay area, surpassing levels seen in the March 1993 Superstorm. That was the storm of record for Tampa Bay. Helene shattered those records in many areas. Many susceptible and expensive properties were heavily damaged by storm surge all along the Gulf Coast of Florida, especially. We’re going to be dealing with tens of billions of dollars in damage and economic impacts from this storm.”
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3:13 p.m. EDT – A quick programming note…
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Our founding editor @TheWillFolks with a quick programming note in the aftermath of #HurricaneHelene ? pic.twitter.com/4IlcIWLQhb
— FITSNews (@fitsnews) September 27, 2024
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2:43 p.m. EDT – U.S. president Joe Biden (or whoever holds his auto-pen) has approved South Carolina’s emergency disaster declaration, authorizing the Palmetto State to receive “federal disaster assistance” related to the ravages of Hurricane Helene and authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to “coordinate all disaster relief efforts.”
Here is the release…
(Click to view)
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2:36 p.m. EDT – The latest on the Lake Lure Dam situation. According to Rutherford County emergency officials, “water is cresting the dam and flowing around the side walls.” The century-old structure’s supports “have been compromised” but the dam itself is “currently holding.”
Evacuations continue…
By the way, we are linking these images directly to the county emergency page so those clicking on them can go straight to the source…
(Click to view)
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2:30 p.m. EDT – So I took a quick break from the live feed to pen a standalone story on the drama surrounding governor Henry McMaster and his chief of staff Trey Walker.
For the political animals in our audience, here it is…
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1:52 p.m. EDT – Photos coming in of damages on Clemson University‘s campus. Clemson canceled classes and the campus remains closed today as officials evaluate and assess the impact of the storm to the campus.
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1:38 p.m. EDT – Shifting our attention to political fallout from the storm, South Carolina governor Henry McMaster has been steadfastly urging Palmetto State residents to exercise caution during Hurricane Helene. His chief of staff Trey Walker? That’s another story…
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Nobody is quicker to take a day off for “any reason or excuse” and not go to work – than Richland County government or Richland County School Districts. And Richland County taxpayers – parents don’t raise hell about this – or vote. Don’t complain. https://t.co/Y4Bbnz3UdB
— Trey Walker ?? (@TreyWalker) September 27, 2024
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1:02 p.m. EDT – Returning our attention to the Lake Lure Dam: Completed in September 1926, its primary goal was recreation – the centerpiece of a resort development – but it was also equipped with two hydroelectric turbine generators. Extensive renovation work on the dam was underway beginning last August – with the town of Lake Lure (which owns both the dam and the lake it created) shelling out $7.7 million on upgrading its infrastructure.
Local journalist Annie Dance has an excellent story from June of this year detailing that project…
Of interest? Her report cited the dam’s designation as a high hazard dam “for potential loss of life should it ever fail,” according to state and federal officials.
(Click to view)
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12:53 p.m. EDT – According to an update from the Laurens Electric Cooperative, 98 percent of its service area lost power at the peak of Helene’s wrath.
“The recovery will be long and challenging,” the utility noted. “Many members will be without power for hours or days.”
Here’s a look at one of the downed lines…
(Click to view)
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12:36 p.m. EDT – All eyes are on Lake Lure, but elsewhere in North Carolina…
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?? You're standing on I-40, looking down at U.S. 74.
— NCDOT Asheville Area (@NCDOT_Asheville) September 27, 2024
? The Blue Ridge Parkway bridge is in the distance.
?? Don't go out today. It's not safe.#Helene #ncwx pic.twitter.com/bZhAJOKLIu
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12:25 p.m. EDT – An update on the “imminent failure” of the Lake Lure Dam… according to the town, “mass notification sirens have been activated.” Hard to see it getting more serious than that!
(Click to view)
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12:14 p.m. EDT – From our friend Troy Styles with Blunt Force Media. This pic was taken on Earle Street in Greenville’s historic downtown area…
(Click to view)
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12:01 p.m. EDT – An ominous warning from emergency management officials in Rutherford County, North Carolina. The Lake Lure Dam near the town of Lake Lure, N.C. – where the 1987 movie Dirty Dancing was filmed – is reportedly in danger of “imminent failure.”
It’s worth noting this dam impounds the Broad River, the same Broad River which joins with the Saluda just northwest of Columbia, S.C.
(Click to view)
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11:30 a.m. EDT – A summary of the latest information on Helene has just been released by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, Florida. As of 11:00 a.m. EDT, Helene – now a tropical storm – was located at latitude 35.1° N longitude 83.8° W, or 105 miles north-northwest of Atlanta, Georgia.
Its maximum sustained winds had decreased to 45 miles per hour, and it was moving north at 32 miles per hour.
“A slowdown in forward speed is expected soon, and the storm is forecast to stall over the Tennessee Valley tonight and through the weekend,” forecasters noted.
While Helene has weakened considerably, it’s worth noting its tropical storm-force winds still extend outward up to 345 miles.
“A weather station on Sassafras Mountain reported a sustained wind of 41 mph (67 km/h) with a gust of 61 mph (98 km/h),” the advisory noted. ” A coastal observation at Murrells Inlet recently reported a sustained wind of 38 mph (61 km/h) with a gust of 46 mph (74 km/h).”
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11:27 a.m. EDT – Some scenes out of York County, S.C. provide by the York County sheriff’s department…
(Click to view)
(York County Sheriff)
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11:24 a.m. EDT – Greenville, S.C. is a hot mess right now. Check out these pics from our friend Grant Lankford…
(Click to view)
(Grant Lankford via X)
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11:10 a.m. EDT – An update from the S.C. Department of Public Safety (SCDPS) …
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There are a lot of first responders and emergency crews out working hard for you this morning in response to #Helene.
— SCDPS (@theSCDPS) September 27, 2024
When you see flashing lights from anyone working on the side of the road, please move over. It’s the right thing to do and it’s the law.
Also, if you are… pic.twitter.com/P0oiz5EfIh
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11:08 a.m. EDT – What the system currently looks like courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s satellite radar…
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10:46 a.m. EDT – An update on power outages associated with the system…
Over 4.3 million electric customers are currently without power due to #HurricaneHelene.
— PowerOutage.us (@PowerOutage_us) September 27, 2024
1.3 million out in #SouthCarolina
1 million out in #Florida and #Georgia
78k out #Virginia
[2024-09-27 10:17 AM EDT]https://t.co/8cAFt3zGJe#PowerOutages pic.twitter.com/pJjtdk136z
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9:45 a.m. EDT – More images from Explore Beaufort highlighting Lowcountry damage…
(Click to view)
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9:40 a.m. EDT – North Augusta’s department of public safety just posted this image of damage from Helene…
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9:05 a.m. EDT – The Greenville, S.C. police department just posted the following images of damage from Helene…
(Click to view)
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9:03 a.m. EDT – Explore Beaufort, a local tourism group in Beaufort, S.C. just posted this image of flooding from the South Carolina Lowcountry…
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8:25 a.m. EDT – For those of you not following him already, Florida-based weather expert Mike Boylan is someone you should absolutely check out. Not only does he provide exemplary coverage of these systems once they make landfall, but his tracking of them prior to arrival is second to none…
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Morning sunrise after Helene. St. Marks, Florida surge. Heaviest came in around 4am and is lowering now. @wxchanneldesk @FOXWeatherDesk pic.twitter.com/533zt36OP5
— Mike's Weather Page (@tropicalupdate) September 27, 2024
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Keep it tuned to FITSNews and our new weather section as we track Helene’s progress and the latest on several new systems forming in the tropics…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the owner and founding editor of FITSNews. Prior to founding his own news outlet, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina, bass guitarist in an alternative rock band and bouncer at a Columbia, S.C. dive bar. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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2 comments
Remember when Trump suggested nuking a hurricane? Or how about when he “revised” a hurricane track with his Sharpie to include Alabama?
What a retard. Hard to believe millions vote for this jamoke.
Millions will vote again. People don’t learn.
Education is cool kids!