- Wednesday, March 26 marks six months since Hurricane Helene made landfall.
- The National Hurricane Center says Helene caused $78.7 billion in damages across the U.S.
- Watch the video to take a look back at the devastation we've been covering from the hardest-hit communities.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
We are approaching the six-month mark of Hurricane Helene, a catastrophic storm that leveled parts of Taylor County and destroyed the lives of hundreds of Americans. I'm Kenya Cardonne your Southeast Tallahassee neighborhood reporter. Let's look back at some of the hardest-hit communities we've been covering since before Helene even made landfall.
Incoming Hurricane Helene had neighbors across the Big Bend and South Georgia giving preparations their all.
Nile Bryant, Neighbor - "We're really just preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best."
Something that had become routine for Taylor County neighborhoods, bracing for their third hurricane in 13 months.
Chris Lasiter, Neighbor - "I just hope we don't see anything like it for quite some time."
Steinhatchee neighbors praying they wouldn't suffer impacts worse than the ones brought on by Hurricane Idalia's 8-10 foot storm surge in 2023..
Only to be bested by Helene's 13+ foot storm surge that, according to the National Hurricane Center, wiped out 80% of the homes in Steinhatchee and Keaton Beach.
Nikki Henderson, Neighbor - "I literally fell to my knees on that ground.. it was tough."
Martin Stewart, Neighbor - "You know there's not a lot of things that scare me.. it sounded powerful, it was scary."
Suwannee County suffered its own share of devastation from fierce winds.
The NHC reporting $5.5 billion in agricultural and timber losses in Georgia.
Stripped access to basic necessities sparked countless relief and donation efforts.
Gloria Pugh, CEO AMWAT Moving Warehousing Storage - "We here in Tallahassee, Wakulla County, Leon County, Gadsden County— we're all very fortunate that, you know, it could've been us."
Almost six months later, nothing looks the same and recovery is far from over. But, it's something neighbors were determined to get through before they were even met with tragedy.
James B. Longacre, Neighbor - "We've totally rebuilt this from absolute destruction, we can do it again and we will."
According to the National Hurricane Center, this deadly hurricane left behind $78.7 billion in damages across all states affected by Helene. In Southeast Tallahassee, Kenya Cardonne ABC 27.
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