"Over the course of 17 days, Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton brought devastation to several states including Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee—leaving Florida and North Carolina in shambles." --Ruby Deetz, 8th Grade
Over the course of 17 days, Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton brought devastation to several states including Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee—leaving Florida and North Carolina in shambles. Over 240 people died from the hurricanes, more than half of those being in North Carolina.
What causes a hurricane to happen?
Hurricanes happen when warm water and thunderstorms occur at the same time. When the surface water is warm, the storm sucks up heat energy from the water. This creates moisture in the air. If wind conditions are right, the storm becomes a hurricane. This heat energy is the fuel for the storm, meaning the warmer the water, the more intense a hurricane will be.
Which brings us to our next question. Why were Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton so strong? Many believe it’s climate change. “...because of climate change, the water has been so warm and since there was no cold water, the hurricanes got really intense since there was nothing to calm it down,” says 6th grade Charlotte Mills from the Literary Arts Department.
What causes a hurricane to happen?
Hurricanes happen when warm water and thunderstorms occur at the same time. When the surface water is warm, the storm sucks up heat energy from the water. This creates moisture in the air. If wind conditions are right, the storm becomes a hurricane. This heat energy is the fuel for the storm, meaning the warmer the water, the more intense a hurricane will be.
Which brings us to our next question. Why were Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton so strong? Many believe it’s climate change. “...because of climate change, the water has been so warm and since there was no cold water, the hurricanes got really intense since there was nothing to calm it down,” says 6th grade Charlotte Mills from the Literary Arts Department.
Hurricane Helene was classified as a category 4 storm and was the worst hurricane to strike the U.S. mainland since Katrina in 2005. The rebuilding needs to repair the damage done is overwhelming. The hurricane damaged so many places including historical buildings, fire stations, and more. The total cost has added up to be around $20 billion to $34 billion to repair in total. With the damages caused by Milton, It’s expected to surpass $50 billion.
Many Republicans have politicized this horrific event. Over the course of a week, former President Donald Trump made many false statements about what was happening in the areas that were facing devastation from Hurricane Helene. Specifically North Carolina. From September 30th to October 6th, he made multiple false claims such as President Biden not answering calls for assistance from Georgia’s governor, Biden, and Vice President Kamala Harris, “going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas.”, Harris spending ‘all her FEMA money’ on housing illegal migrants, No rescue efforts being made in North Carolina, and much more. However, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and his fellow politicians have debunked all of his claims.
But politicians aren't the only ones spreading misinformation. People on the internet also spread false rumors about what was happening in the devastated areas. False visuals of the debris were circulated online, including computer-generated (CGI) movies, clips of old storms, and artificial intelligence (AI)-generated images of children fleeing the destruction. Then some spread unfounded, unsupported conspiracy theories about how the government was "geo-engineering" the weather. Of course, none of these things were true.
Many Republicans have politicized this horrific event. Over the course of a week, former President Donald Trump made many false statements about what was happening in the areas that were facing devastation from Hurricane Helene. Specifically North Carolina. From September 30th to October 6th, he made multiple false claims such as President Biden not answering calls for assistance from Georgia’s governor, Biden, and Vice President Kamala Harris, “going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas.”, Harris spending ‘all her FEMA money’ on housing illegal migrants, No rescue efforts being made in North Carolina, and much more. However, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and his fellow politicians have debunked all of his claims.
But politicians aren't the only ones spreading misinformation. People on the internet also spread false rumors about what was happening in the devastated areas. False visuals of the debris were circulated online, including computer-generated (CGI) movies, clips of old storms, and artificial intelligence (AI)-generated images of children fleeing the destruction. Then some spread unfounded, unsupported conspiracy theories about how the government was "geo-engineering" the weather. Of course, none of these things were true.
The amount of flooding North Carolina experienced from hurricane Helene is astonishing, receiving over 32 inches of rain over the course of 3 days, washing away the land covering the city of Asheville’s pipes. According to NBC News, Ben Woody, an Assistant City Manager in Asheville, and others worked actively on restoring the city’s water system. According to Woody, Helene stripped "almost 25 feet of earth" that had covered the city's pipes, causing "catastrophic damage to this bypass waterline."
Milton broke the record for the shortest period between two major hurricanes in Florida, making landfall just 13 days after Helene devastated the Southeast. At least 243 deaths in the area, including 25 in the Sunshine State, have been attributed to Helene.
On October 9th, Hurricane Milton devastated Florida, causing tornadoes, power outages for over 3.3 million energy users, flooding threats for 11 million people, and at least 17 fatalities. Videos and images showed houses submerged in murky floodwaters, people struggling to flee on small boats, roads torn to shreds, and wreckage littered everywhere.
Milton had knocked over a construction crane on a building in the downtown area and tore off the roof of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays.
On October 9th, Hurricane Milton devastated Florida, causing tornadoes, power outages for over 3.3 million energy users, flooding threats for 11 million people, and at least 17 fatalities. Videos and images showed houses submerged in murky floodwaters, people struggling to flee on small boats, roads torn to shreds, and wreckage littered everywhere.
Milton had knocked over a construction crane on a building in the downtown area and tore off the roof of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, the stadium was not being used for shelter but it was reported that it was supposed to house emergency workers who were brought to the area to deal with the storm’s aftermath. A new Rays Stadium is planned to be built in St. Petersburg, but won't be finished until 2028 at the earliest.
