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Hurricane season is one of the most dreaded times of year in the United States, especially for the southeast region for states like Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, and even the neighboring Caribbean region.
However, hurricane season 2024 has got to be one of the most disastrous hurricanes to date – as Hurricane Helene continues to sweep across the southeast taking lives, homes, and leaving people scrambling to recover after their losses.
It’s easy to view hurricane season as a temporary bump in the road, but the reality is that many of these states will soon become inhabitable and unprofitable long-term if we continue to neglect the damage that has already been done.
In this article, we’ll explain what hurricane season is, provide an overview of how it will impact the southeast today and in the future, and ways to mitigate the effects of hurricane season.
Hurricane season refers to the time of year when regions of the world such as the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and the eastern Pacific Ocean are most vulnerable to hurricanes.
💡 According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), it is predicted that hurricane season 2024 will be worse than usual as a result of warming ocean temperature and La Niña.
Hurricane season occurs as a result of warming water temperatures from June through August, such as in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico – which as a result spur greater hurricane activity.
Here’s when hurricane season takes place:
Here’s how a hurricane forms:
Stage | Description |
---|---|
1. Warm Ocean Water | Hurricanes start over warm ocean waters (at least 80°F or 27°C), which provides the energy for the storm. |
2. Evaporation | Warm water evaporates, rising into the atmosphere and creating humid air and clouds. |
3. Low-Pressure System | As the warm, moist air rises, it creates a low-pressure area near the surface, pulling more air into the system. |
4. Wind Circulation | Winds begin to spiral due to the Earth's rotation (Coriolis effect), causing the storm to spin. |
5. Tropical Depression | The system becomes a tropical depression when winds reach 25-38 mph (39-62 km/h), with thunderstorms intensifying. |
6. Tropical Storm | As winds strengthen to 39-73 mph (63-118 km/h), it is classified as a tropical storm and gets a name. |
7. Hurricane Formation | When wind speeds exceed 74 mph (119 km/h), the storm is officially a hurricane, forming a distinct eye in the center. |
👉 It is important for these vulnerable areas to remain proactive during hurricane season in order to minimise the potential emotional and physical damage that could be caused by a hurricane – such as with Hurricane Helene.
Hurricane Helene has taken hurricane season 2024 by storm, having started on September 26th, 2024 and already having secured its spot as a Category 4 hurricane.
💡 The impact created on behalf of Hurricane Helene lessened as it moved inland away from the Big Bend region in Florida, otherwise known as the Florida panhandle – but it still caused insurmountable damage such as by causing massive power outages and even killing people in factories.
Starting in Florida and making its way across North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and even Tennessee – Hurricane Helen has topped 80 mph wind speeds, caused extensive damage to power lines, and left coastal regions in a state of severe flooding.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued warnings across several southeast states including Florida and Georgia. Since the start of Hurricane Helene, both NASA and FEMA have been monitoring the storm via the use of NASA's satellites to keep up-to-date on areas with power outages and extreme flooding.
👉 The damage brought about by Hurricane Helene elicited several social media stars to share the impact of the hurricane on social media, bringing attention to the need for Biden and future presidents of the United States to improve upon the current limited federal resources for hurricane relief.
Hurricane Helene, thus far, has left a total of 160 casualties in its wake alongside 1.4 million residents in the southeast USA without power.
💡 Leaving a colossal impact on the Carolinas, Florida, Georgia, and even Virginia – Hurricane Helene has left several major roads inaccessible, the ability to communicate sparse, flood damage, and an inevitable new wave of eco-anxiety across the south.
Here is a breakdown of how Hurricane Helene has impacted states in the Southeastern United States:
Ron DeSantis, the current governor of Florida, has recently issued an emergency warning for 61 counties in the state of Florida – revealing that the disastrous effects of Hurricane Helene are far from over.
Florida has lost 11 lives, and when Hurricane Helene hit the ground near the panhandle – it topped out at speeds as high as 140mph. As a result, over 1 million homes in the state were left without power.
💡 In fact, another category 4 hurricane is on its way to Florida – as Hurricane Milton has already been cited as "extremely dangerous" by the US National Hurricane Center. Arriving a mere 10 days after the destruction of Hurricane Helene, this goes to show the continuous damage that hurricane season is bound to have on southeastern states.
Having strengthened to a category 5 hurricane in a matter of hours and topping out at wind speeds of 180mph – the mayor of Tampa, Florida advised residents to evacuate or "you're going to die."
In addition to this, a viral video of a meteorologist getting emotional at the notion of global warming causing these horrific hurricanes garnered significant attention – as its intensified speeds have signaled the extent to which climate change is exacerbating the effects of these natural disasters.
If you are currently affected by Hurricane Milton, here are some precautions to follow to protect yourself immediately:
👉 Overall, Hurricane Milton demonstrates how climate change is aggravating weather patterns and that hurricanes will only continue to get worse as global temperatures rise.
As one of the states most affected by Hurricane Helene, North Carolina has suffered from a high death toll of 56 people alongside copious amounts of leftover debris, some of which has found its way into Lake Lure.
North Carolina has also found itself in financial peril as a result of the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, with businesses struggling to stay afloat – especially in the historic town of Chimney Rock.
Luckily, on October 1st, 2024 – Biden approved of a disaster relief fund for Georgia, where over 460,000 power outages were being reported even after the storm.
Kamala Harris, potential future president of the United States, will be visiting Augusta on October 2nd, 2024 to further examine the damage caused by Hurricane Helene and what federal protocols can be taken.
With two lives lost, Virginia has also been affected by Hurricane Helene – with more rain expected in the next few days, which has left residents concerned.
💡 Around 282,000 Appalachian Power customers lost service in the midst of Hurricane Helene.
Hurricane Helene certainly didn’t spare Tennessee, as 11 factory workers were swept away by the hurricane – only 6 of them were able to be rescued.
In addition to this, the state has suffered from massive flooding – especially on main roads meant to remain available in the event of the need to evacuate in the midst of a natural disaster.
👉 Ultimately, Hurricane Helene has left behind catastrophic damage in its wake that not only states – but the federal government will have to aid in their recovery moving forward.
Hurricane season and events as heartbreaking as Hurricane Helene may do more than damage the state and take lives itself, but it could prevent the livelihood of southeast states in the future – as property value will decrease, businesses will struggle, and overall tourism is bound to decrease.
💡 States such as Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and more will struggle to rebuild homes and keep businesses running – especially as climate change continues to exacerbate the negative effects of hurricanes in the future.
“I don't know if there'll be work. I don't know if people will have places to live.” – Restaurant Manager Matt Hartwiger, resident of North Carolina who evacuated his flooding home with his pregnant wife.
Here are some of the ways hurricane season will impact the future of these southeastern states:
👉 States in the Southeast of the United States are likely to become more difficult to live , expand businesses, and own property in as hurricane season intensifies.
Many across the world continue to treat natural disasters such as hurricanes as an accident that can’t be avoided and no one can prepare for, but the truth is – there are many things we can do to protect vulnerable areas such as the southeast U.S. from hurricane season.
💡 Some of these ideas include working to improve infrastructure and offering improved support packages via the government to help those struggling after hurricane season.
While we can’t stop hurricane season entirely, there are several ways we can better support regions of the world that will be most affected by hurricane season – especially after a hurricane as damaging as Hurricane Helene.
Here are some of the ways the U.S. can improve its methods to support the southeast in the midst of this hurricane season:
Overall, hurricane season doesn’t have to be as devastating as we’ve seen it be so far with Hurricane Helene – as the southeastern states can work together to build greater resilience to avoid the heartbreaking effects of hurricanes to come.
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