Hurricane Helene: “One of the Worst Weather Events” to Hit North Carolina

That’s about a half-year’s worth of rain coming in four days. It’s one of the worst weather events that’s hit this area in history.

South Carolina National Weather Service meteorologist Doug Outlaw, regarding the historic impact of last week’s “once every 1,000 years” flooding event when remnants of Hurricane Helene reached western North Carolina.

Why It Matters: According to meteorologists, a variety of factors — including mountainous terrain, a warming climate and previous rainfall — contributed to the “once every 1,000 years” flooding event that occurred when remnants of Hurricane Helene reached western North Carolina last week. “It was a huge amount of water at one time being channeled and funneled through the valleys,” says National Weather Service meteorologist Doug Outlaw. With more than 200 lives lost, a number that is expected to grow with ongoing search and rescue, Hurricane Helene marks the deadliest hurricane system to hit the U.S. in nearly two decades. President Biden announced that he approved the deployment of “up to 1,000 active-duty soldiers to support the delivery of food, water, and other critical commodities to communities impacted by Hurricane Helene.” The active-duty troops were mobilized Wednesday from Ft. Liberty, NC, and join approximately 6,700 National Guard troops from across 16 states who have also been deployed to the area to provide assistance.

More Context: One week later, approximately 1 million people across five states do not have power, and tens of thousands do not have running water throughout the Blue Ridge Mountains and other areas of the Southeast.

This is a developing story.

Read More: The science behind how a Florida hurricane ravaged North Carolina (NBC News)

1M still without power, thousands without running water: Helene live updates (USA Today)