Impact of Hurricane Helene

Hurricane Helene caused $53 million in damage and has been reported as the worst hurricane since Katrina in 2005.

Helene impacted several American states, including North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee. The storm also affected areas outside the United States, such as the Cayman Islands, the Yucatán Peninsula and Cuba.

Punta Gorda, a small town near Fort Myers, was severely affected by Hurricane Helene. The town lost 300 homes, and 60 businesses were damaged by flooding.

Jason Cook, a handyman in Punta Gorda, Florida, owns a repair business called Handyman Services. He goes out to fix the damage caused by hurricanes himself. With Hurricane Helene, Cook had to repair many homes in the Punta Gorda area.

Instead of evacuating, Cook decided to stay and help restore his community after the storms. “Although I do not need to stay here when storms come, I choose to as I am part of helping the community restore their property”

He primarily repairs roof shingles, soffits, fascia and ceiling drywall. Due to the varied nature of the damage, there is no set timeline for repairs—each job is unique, allowing Cook a diverse range of tasks each day.

When it comes to insurance helping with the payment Cook said, “​​The insurance companies have their own inspectors. For the most part, communications between myself and them are minimal. The homeowner makes a claim, they send an inspector, issue a check to the homeowner, homeowner pays me directly.”

John Beane, a local business owner in Punta Gorda, also saw his business affected by Hurricane Helene. Beane runs a financial services business, specializing in financial planning and wealth management. He is able to work remotely with clients over the phone or via video calls, such as Zoom.

However, the storm knocked over cell phone towers, disrupting both electrical power and cellular service. If the power goes out, Beane uses a standby generator to continue working. He can keep his business running until cable lines are down or cell towers are out. On occasion, he has had to drive outside the area to find service and work from remote locations.

“Business kind of stops for a while.  Everybody has issues locally and out of town folks have heard and if they contact us, it is generally just to check on our safety.” 

The most significant effect of Hurricane Helene was the flooding. Beane had a trailer where he could work peacefully until Helene’s flooding caused extensive damage. He had to remove three feet of sheetrock and all the flooring, and replace furniture and drywall. He also had to treat for mold to prevent damage to wooden door structures.

When it came to his Florida community Beane said, “Community assistance was great.  Really, our daughter had over twenty friends at her home for many days until she was completely out, relocated and secure.  I have friends who will be helping us when we move back into the office.  My oldest daughter’s church came to the office to help. We went to other people’s homes to help as well.  Everyone just pitches in.”

While hurricanes typically do not reach beyond Florida, Helene was a notable exception. Florida has experienced over 500 hurricanes since it became a state, and Helene caused massive damage across the state.

Helene’s destruction extended beyond Florida, affecting neighboring states as well. Not many states are hit by hurricanes, making the widespread devastation of Helene even more significant.

According to a Washington Post article, “Helene is larger than all but two Gulf storms since 1988: Opal, a Category 3 storm that made landfall on the Florida Panhandle in 1995, and Irma, a Category 4 storm that struck South Florida in 2017.”

Overall Hurricane Helene has wiped out thousands of homes, damaged multiple cities and hurt hundreds. Help others by checking in on friends or loved ones that could have been hurt.