Boats sit after being pushed ashore by floodwaters from Hurricane Helene on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Mike Carlson, Associated Press
As communities in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and other Southern states continue to assess the damage from Helene and begin to clean up, at least one official has compared the storm to the most famous hurricane in recent U.S. history.
“This is looking to be Buncombe County’s own Hurricane Katrina,” said Avril Pinder, the manager of the county, which includes Asheville, over the weekend, according to The Washington Post.
In Asheville and surrounding areas, residents are dealing with historic flooding, extensive road closures and the loss of power and cell service, just as people along the Gulf Coast did in the aftermath of Katrina in 2005.
Thousands of people took to social media over the weekend to ask for help getting in touch with loved ones in the Carolinas — and for prayers for recovery efforts.
“We have biblical devastation through the county,” said Ryan Cole, Buncombe County’s assistant emergency services director, to The Washington Post. “We have biblical flooding here.”
Although the damage to homes, businesses and public structures like roads and bridges from flooding is similar to Hurricane Katrina, the death toll is not, at least so far.
The death toll from Helene currently stands around 120, per The Associated Press.
Here are photos showing Helene’s path of destruction, as well as people picking up the pieces and attempting to move on with their lives.
A man carries his electric bicycle through a flooded street in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Crystal River, Fla. | Phelan M. Ebenhack
An uprooted tree caused by Hurricane Helene landed on a pickup truck in front of a home on East Main Street, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Glen Alpine, N.C. | Kathy Kmonicek
The Riverside RV park was flooded from the overflowing Catawba River after torrential rain from Hurricane Helene, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Morganton, N.C. | Kathy Kmonicek
Millie, left, and Mya Ellender sort through family photos which were damaged by floodwaters from Hurricane Helene in the Shore Acres neighborhood on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. | Mike Carlson
A vehicle sits outside of its garage after storm surge from Hurricane Helene, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Madeira Beach, Fla. | Luis Santana
Residents discard items from their homes which filled with floodwaters from Hurricane Helene in the Shore Acres neighborhood on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. | Mike Carlson
A stop sign can be barely seen above a flooded parking lot after torrential rain from Hurricane Helene caused severe flooding, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Morganton, N.C. | Kathy Kmonicek
Boats sit after being pushed ashore by floodwaters from Hurricane Helene on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. | Mike Carlson
After waiting on long lines to fill up their gas tanks at the Sheetz station, people were also filling up containers of gas for their generators after Hurricane Helene caused power outages, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Morganton, N.C. | Kathy Kmonicek
Rescue workers from the Pamlico County rescue team are shown working in the aftermath of Helene the area of Chimney Rock, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. | Pamlico County Special Operations via Associated Press
Daniel Dickert walks to plant an American flag on is property were his boat shed was destroyed and his home damaged in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in Jena, Fla., Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. | Gerald Herbert
A couple of RVs are abandoned in the flooded Ingles parking lot due to the torrential rains from Hurricane Helene, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Morganton, N.C. | Kathy Kmonicek
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, Tenn. | George Walker IV
Reporter JJ Burton stands in front of a boat pushed ashore on to the Dunedin Causeway by floodwaters from Hurricane Helene on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Dunedin, Fla. | Mike Carlson
A swimming pool is completely filled with sand after storm surge from Hurricane Helene pushed tons of sand inland, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Madeira Beach, Fla. | Luis Santana
Rescue workers from the Pamlico County rescue team are shown working in the aftermath of Helene the area of Chimney Rock, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. | Pamlico County Special Operations via Associated Press
Rescue workers from the Pamlico County rescue team are shown working in the aftermath of Helene the area of Chimney Rock, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. | Pamlico County Special Operations via Associated Press
Crews work to clean up the tons of sand and debris pushed onto Gulf Boulevard from Hurricane Helene storm surge, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Madeira Beach, Fla. | Luis Santana
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