October 4th 2024.
On September 28, 2024, just two days after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida, satellite images revealed a haunting path of darkness where the powerful storm had passed through. The devastation caused by Helene could be seen from space, with entire towns flooded and homes torn apart by its fierce winds. The before and after photos were a stark reminder of the destruction left in the hurricane's wake.
As the satellite image taken on Saturday showed, Helene's impact was not limited to Florida's Gulf Coast. The storm also caused flooding in areas of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia. In fact, the vast area affected by power outages was clearly visible in the image, with a wide swath of land in those states appearing dark compared to the rest of the country.
Even as Helene approached Florida on September 25, 2024, communities in its path were still connected to power. However, just two days later, the storm had cut power for millions of Americans between Tallahassee, Florida, and Damascus, Virginia. The National Weather Service in Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina, described the extent of Helene's destruction in a tweet, stating, "The path from Helene can be seen from space with all of the power outages the day after it ripped through the Southeast."
The impact of Helene was not lost on people around the world, as Reddit users from various countries expressed shock and disbelief upon seeing the before and after satellite images. One user compared the distance the storm had traveled to the length of Spain, stating, "In case anyone from Spain is reading, that is as if a hurricane touched land in the coast of Galicia and made it all the way to Zaragoza, which is to say 3/4 the length of Spain." Another user noted the distance from the top of the dark area in the satellite image to North Florida, emphasizing the vast scale of Helene's destruction.
One aerial view of flood damage in Asheville, North Carolina, showed the devastating aftermath of Helene, with buildings wrecked and vehicles scattered across muddy land. As one Reddit user aptly commented, "Mother Nature says don't eff with me." The storm had claimed at least 215 lives and left hundreds more missing as of Thursday afternoon, making it the deadliest hurricane in recent history.
The damage caused by Helene was not limited to power outages and flooding. In Tarpon Springs, Florida, floodwaters were seen inundating the main street after the storm had passed offshore. As of Thursday afternoon, hundreds of thousands of power outages were still being reported, with South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida being the most affected states.
In the end, Helene left a trail of destruction and devastation in its wake, becoming the first Category 4 storm on record to strike the Big Bend region since 1851. As the cleanup and recovery efforts continue, the impact of this powerful hurricane will not be forgotten anytime soon.
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