As of Monday, Hurricane Helen had already claimed more than 100 lives as the powerful hurricane struck the Southeast, leaving devastation and chaos in its wake.
Helen is considered one of the deadliest hurricanes to make landfall in the continental United States in modern times. The Carolinas, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee have all reported deaths from the deadly storm.
Hundreds of people remain missing, with search and rescue operations underway as communities struggle to get back on their feet after the storm. In Buncombe County, North Carolina alone, 35 people died from the storm, officials said.
Helen already ranks among the top 10 deadliest storms in U.S. history. The number of victims is likely to continue to rise as clean-up and rescue operations continue.
Since 1950, only eight hurricanes have killed more than 100 people, and the last time a storm as deadly as Helen struck the United States was in 2017, when Hurricane Harvey made landfall near Houston. It is believed that 103 people died.
Below are other similar storms.
hurricane katrina
Year: 2005 Location: 3 landfalls, including one in Keating Beach, Florida, and two near Brass, Louisiana and the Louisiana-Mississippi border Death toll: 1,392 Damages: $125 billion ( ($2005) What happened: Ranked as the deadliest storm since 1950, Katrina tied Hurricane Harvey as the costliest Atlantic hurricane on record, according to the National Hurricane Center. The biggest reason for Katrina-related deaths was the failure of levees around New Orleans, which caused devastating flooding in the area.
hurricane harvey
Year: 2017 Location: San Jose Island, Texas, approximately 32 miles southeast of Houston Death toll: 103 Damages: $125 billion (2017 dollars) What happened: Storm caused devastating flooding in the Houston area It became the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the continental United States. Since Hurricane Wilma in 2005. Some areas, such as Nederland and Texas, received 60.58 inches of rainfall.
hurricane ian
Year: 2022 Location: Landfalls on Cayo Costa Island, Florida, approximately 49 miles west of Fort Myers Number of deaths: 156 Damages: $113 billion (2022 dollars) What happened: Classified as a Category 5 hurricane Ian was the third deadliest hurricane on record. National Hurricane Center. This hurricane was also the costliest storm in Florida history. Apart from the extensive damage he caused in Florida, Ian also caused damage in Cuba and the Carolinas.
hurricane andrew
Year: 1992 Location: Elliott Key, Florida, approximately 9 miles east of Homestead Death toll: 65 Damages: $60 billion (1992 dollars) What happened: Category 5 hurricane is the first hurricane to hit Florida It is considered one of the most destructive hurricanes of all time. Andrew was the costliest hurricane in Florida history until Hurricane Irma passed 25 years later, which caused about $77 billion in damages, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Deadliest hurricane in the US
The deadliest hurricanes are listed below by rank, name, year, and number of deaths, based on information from the National Hurricane Center.
Katrina – 2005, 1,392 Audrey – 1957, 416 Camille – 1969, 256 Sandy – 2012, 219 Diane – 1955, 184 Ian – 2022, 156 Agnes – 1972, 122 Harvey – 2017, 103 Helen (interim), 1 00 Hazel – 1954 Years, 95 Irma – 2017, 92 Ike – 2008, 85 Ida – 2021, 87 Betsy – 1965, 75 Andrew – 1992, 65 Rita – 2005, 62 Carol – 1954, 60 Michael – 2018, 59 Ivan – 2001, 57 Floyd – 1999, 56 Matthew – 2016, 52 Florence – 201 8, 52 Isabelle – 2003, 51 Donna – 1960, 50
Source: National Hurricane Center report
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
(This story has been updated to correct a spelling/typo error.)
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Contact us at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow us at X @fern_cerv_.
