Disaster record

Hurricane Helene (September 2024) — Southeast / Southern Appalachians

Two years after the disaster 250 deaths $78.7 billion

Summary

Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Florida Big Bend on September 26, 2024, as a Category 4 hurricane. Inland flooding then hit Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Virginia, including western North Carolina. That flooding is part of this disaster.

At least 250 people died in the United States, according to the National Hurricane Center. Unchanged through September 26, 2026.

Scientific attribution

A World Weather Attribution study said warming made the rain about 10 percent heavier and the winds about 11 percent stronger. It also said the unusually warm Gulf water that fed the storm was far more likely because of human-caused warming. That does not mean climate change was the only cause.

Sep 26, 2024 · Florida Big Bend landfall; inland flooding across the Southeast and southern Appalachians, including western North Carolina · hurricane / inland flooding

← All disasters · Findings · Inclusion rules

Observation window: Sep 26, 2024 → Oct 3, 2024

Messaging tallies

53 / 53 Core Democratic Officials reviewed
5Disaster Mention
0Climate Connection
0 Mentioned Republican Obstruction of Climate Action

About these tallies

“Core Democratic Officials reviewed” shows how many of the 53 Core Democratic Officials have been examined for this disaster. Scoring rules: Methods.

Democratic framing

Summary

Five Core Democratic Officials named this storm in the seven-day window. None of them connected it to climate change. None named Republican obstruction of climate action.

Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock named Helene in Georgia. Ossoff spoke with FEMA on September 26 and again on September 29 after surveying South Georgia. On September 30 they asked President Biden for a major disaster declaration. Warnock toured Augusta that day.

Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine named Helene in Southwest Virginia. Kaine visited Damascus, Marion, and Galax on September 30. Warner and Kaine asked for a major disaster declaration.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, as Agriculture Committee chair, called on September 30 for emergency aid after Helene. A sentence in that release about severe weather in recent years, including in Michigan, is not a climate link to this storm.

Florida and North Carolina have no Democratic U.S. senators. Schumer and Murray were named as addressees on an October 1 relief letter. They did not sign it as speakers.

Statements

Republican framing

Sen. Rick Scott spoke on CNN on September 27. He said the climate is clearly changing. That is a climate acknowledgment, not a Democratic score.

Donald Trump, in Valdosta on September 30, attacked the federal response and said Republican areas were neglected. Claims on October 3 that FEMA money had gone to migrants fall after noon on the last day of the window.

Statements

  • Donald Trump (2024 Republican presidential nominee) — Oct 3, 2024 Out of window
  • Marjorie Taylor Greene (U.S. Representative (R-GA-14)) — Oct 3, 2024 Out of window
  • Donald Trump (2024 Republican presidential nominee) — Sep 30, 2024
  • Rick Scott (U.S. Senator (R-FL)) — Sep 27, 2024

Related policies

Sources

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