The negative effects of Hurricane Helene, which hit the Florida coast at a speed of approximately 225 kilometers, continue. Authorities announced that the number of deaths in the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Virginia, where the strong winds and rains brought by the hurricane were effective, has exceeded 90.
According to CNN, authorities stated that 600 people were unaccounted for in the Buncombe region of North Carolina alone, and announced that 36 people died across the state.
US President Joe Biden is expected to visit the areas affected by the hurricane within the week.
DAMAGE 160 BILLION DOLLARS
AccuWeather, a worldwide weather forecasting service, has increased its estimates of total damage and economic loss from Hurricane Helene.
Accordingly, the total damage and economic loss caused by Hurricane Helene is estimated to be between 145 billion dollars and 160 billion dollars.
AccuWeather had previously predicted that the economic loss due to Hurricane Helene would be between $95 billion and $110 billion.
It was noted that the increase in estimates of economic loss reflected damage reports received in the last 48 hours, making Hurricane Helene one of the costliest hurricanes in US history.
HURRICAN HELENE
The US National Hurricane Center announced that Hurricane Helene hit the northwestern coast of Florida at a speed of approximately 225 kilometers. The hurricane quickly affected Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee.
There was a power outage in more than 1.2 million homes and workplaces in Florida, where the hurricane first hit, 1 million in Georgia, 1.3 million in South Carolina and 600 thousand homes and workplaces in North Carolina.
President Biden declared a “state of disaster” in Florida and North Carolina and ordered “federal aid” for those negatively affected by the hurricane. (AA)