Weeks after Hurricane Helene first entered Florida’s Big Bend in late September, it left a trail of destruction to six southern US states. Many communities are still reeling from its impact.
Helene caused such devastation that it was described as “unimaginable damage” and “biblical.” The North Carolina State Climate Office called it a “monster storm, ” resulting in the “worst-case scenario for western North Carolina.”
“Torrential rainfall from the remnants of Hurricane Helene capped off three days of extreme, unrelenting precipitation, which left catastrophic flooding and unimaginable damage in our Mountains and southern Foothills… the full extent of this event will take years to document – not to mention, to recover from,” the North Carolina State Climate Office says (Cohen, 2024).
Hurricane Helene has killed more than 230 people from its path of destruction stretching over 500 miles from Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee. Death tolls are expected to rise as hundreds more are still unaccounted for. Helene is the deadliest storm after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
As Hurricane Helene turned to the northwest, crossing over the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee, it brought historic rainfall and flooding, wiping out many mountain towns of Western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. Days before Helene, the area had received 8 to 16 inches of rain. Helene poured an additional 2 to 3 feet of rain in just four days, equivalent to what the area gets in four to five months, flooding rivers and valleys and increasing lakes and dam levels to a record high not seen in the last 100 years (Zernich, 2024).
Western North Carolina suffered the most severe impact among the six states affected. Parts of the area are still facing more than 400 road closures. Helene damaged roads and bridges in eight counties in Tennessee, leading to closures on I-40 and I-26 near the Tennessee-North Carolina border.
Even North Carolina’s rustic City of Asheville, touted as a climate haven from extreme weather, has not been spared by Hurricane Helene. The Hurricane’s catastrophic floodwaters cut off the city, and flooding severed major highways in Asheville.
The city center is now strewn with mud cake and debris from the torrential rain and floods, making it difficult for residents to access cellphone reception, gasoline, and food. The water supply and roads are expected to be affected for weeks. North Carolina’s governor, Roy Cooper, called the event an “unprecedented tragedy” (Milman, 2024).
Property damage alone is estimated to range from $20 billion to $110 billion across the state, reflecting the difficult task of rebuilding. Helene’s aftermath resulted in hundreds of road damages and closures, millions of power outages, downed communications networks, and limited access to fresh water. Hurricane Helen is a stark reminder of the real costs of climate change fueling more frequent and destructive storms (Kelly et al., 2024).
Climate change fingerprints
Hurricanes gain strength from heat in the ocean and atmosphere. Helene, one of the largest ever documented, sped across a record-hot Gulf, quickly turning from a Category 1 to a Category 4 storm within a day.
Extra heat helps storms spin faster and holds more atmospheric moisture, which it unleashes in torrents in places such as western North Carolina, which got a month’s rain in just a couple of days (Milman, 2024).
“This storm has the fingerprints of climate change all over it,” said North Carolina’s state climatologist Kathie Dello. “The ocean was warm, and it grew and grew. There was a lot of water in the atmosphere. Unfortunately, our worst fears came true. Helene was supercharged by climate change, and we should expect more storms like this going forward” (Milman, 2024).
Dello said that it would take months or even years for communities to recover, particularly in the state’s poorer, more rural areas that have been cut off entirely by the storm. Helene’s aftermath has compounded the impacts of previous hurricanes, such as Florence in 2018 and Fred in 2021, which pose major questions about how to rebuild (Milman, 2024).
Need for climate resilience
A crucial part of recovery in hard-hit North Carolina and elsewhere is rebuilding the road for supplies and restoring a sense of normalcy. “All departments of transportation are looking at more resilient infrastructure in the face of these increased weather events,” says Kevin Marshia, a former Vermont transportation official who is now the director of engineering at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, a national organization (Marshall, 2024).
Long-term fixes to roads that are climate resilient require data. Engineers now realize that with more intense weather patterns and stronger storms, they cannot rely on historical data but on shifting design informed by better climate prediction.
Solutions for climate-resilient roads
The article “Hurricane Helene Destroyed Roads. Here’s How to Rebuild—and Flood-Proof Them for Next Time” on Wired offers some possible solutions.
First, hardening roads. Some public officials support this strategy. While it may have a higher initial cost, this method can lead to long-term savings.
The second is raising infrastructure. However, this can result in projects that are expensive and take decades to complete, often making them economically impractical.
The third is creating porous roads. Porous roads can help manage water by allowing it to flow through the pavement and into the ground, preventing pooling that damages the surface. Yet, porous materials tend to be weaker than traditional concrete and can pose challenges in colder climates where water can freeze and compromise the road’s integrity. Additionally, these roads require regular maintenance, such as pressure washing and vacuuming, to clear clogged debris like dirt and leaves. Research is ongoing to enhance the durability of porous roads by incorporating materials like steel, natural fibers, glass, and synthetic components.
Lastly, engineers can recognize the limitations of extreme storms that bring heavy rainfall, which can threaten any road or bridge. The key solution is ensuring communities have ready access to materials that facilitate swift reconstruction. This approach is vital for enhancing climate resilience and preparing for future challenges (Marshall, 2024).
Sources:
Cohen, L. (2024, October 1). Here’s how Hurricane Helene brought “biblical devastation” to western North Carolina in a near “worst-case scenario”. CBS News. Retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hurricane-helene-biblical-devastation-north-carolina-near-worst-case-scenario/
Ramirez, R., Paget, S., Fisher, A., & Merrill, C. (2024, October 1). What Hurricane Helene’s 500-mile path of destruction looks like. CNN. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2024/10/01/weather/hurricane-helene-path-of-destruction-climate-dg/index.html
Zernich, E. (2024, October 3). Reviewing Hurricane Helene’s destructive path through the Southeast. WISTV. Retrieved from https://www.wistv.com/2024/10/03/reviewing-hurricane-helenes-destructive-path-through-southeast/
Phillis, M., Amy, J., & Peterson, B. (2024, October 6). Infrastructure damage from Helene leaves Asheville in dire need of basic resources. NBC 15 News. Retrieved from https://mynbc15.com/news/nation-world/a-week-after-helene-hit-thousands-still-without-water-struggle-to-find-enough-asheville-flooding-devastation-to-western-north-carolina-volunteers-no-water-no-power-fema-hurricane-katrina-floodwater
Kelly, C., Weller, C., & Baker, N. (2024, October 4). In the Wake of Hurricane Helene, Congress Must Invest in Rebuilding Strong, Prosperous, and Climate-Resilient Communities. CAP20. Retrieved from https://www.americanprogress.org/article/in-the-wake-of-hurricane-helene-congress-must-invest-in-rebuilding-strong-prosperous-and-climate-resilient-communities/
Milman, O. (2024, October 1). ‘Nowhere is safe’: shattered Asheville shows stunning reach of climate crisis. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/01/hurricane-helene-asheville-climate-change-nowhere-safe
Marshall, A. (2024, October 5). Hurricane Helene Destroyed Roads. Here’s How to Rebuild—and Flood-Proof Them for Next Time. WIRED. Retrieved from https://www.wired.com/story/hurricane-helene-roads-flood-proof-climate-change/
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