Hurricane Helene ripped through five states in September, causing massive flooding and leaving 241 reported deaths in its wake. USA TODAY Network reporters from each state recount the impact along the path of the historic storm:
As Helene forms in the Gulf of Mexico, heavy rains soak Western North Carolina
As Helene approached Florida, Tal Galton, a naturalist and owner of a local ecotour company in Western North Carolina, grew concerned about forecasters’ warnings of the potential for epic rainfall in the Appalachians.
Flowing down the steep slopes of the Black Mountains near the Blue Ridge Parkway, the South Toe River cuts through narrow valleys and snakes past homes, farms and campgrounds for more than 30 miles in Yancey County before emptying into its counterpart, the North Toe River, near Kona.
Galton knew the South Toe’s long history of devastating floods. Earlier this year he had placed a few signs along the river to mark the dates when the river had flooded. Two of the signs mark high-water events from September 2004, when remnants of Hurricanes Frances and Ivan swept through the region, pushing the river more than 15 feet above flood stage one week and nearly 12 feet the next.