October 1, 2024 |12:50 p.m.
More than 40 trillion gallons of rain have drenched the Southeast since Hurricane Helene made landfall — that’s 619 days of constant water flow over Niagara Falls. At least 137 people have died across six states in the aftermath. As many as 600 people haven’t been accounted for as of Monday afternoon. More than 1.5 million customers are still without power.
Convoy of Hope distributions continue in Florida communities affected by Helene’s initial landfall. Convoy is also distributing food, water, cleaning supplies, and hygiene kits in Augusta, Georgia.
In North Carolina, Convoy is sending loads of water to communities where there is none that is clean to drink. Team members will be deploying to western North Carolina today to set up a base of operations that can better serve the needs of those in the area.
Helene will go down as one of the worst storms in U.S. history. Washed-out roads across Georgia and the Carolinas have stranded survivors, and power outages have kept them from contacting loved ones to let them know they are alive. The Associated Press described the disaster zone as “a wasteland of splintered houses, crushed cargo containers and mud-covered highways.” In the Carolinas, the roads are in such bad condition that supplies are being delivered by mules.
September 30, 2024 |1:28 p.m.
The death toll from Hurricane Helene doubled over the weekend — at least 115 people lost their lives as the storm churned relentlessly through the Southeast. More than 2 million people in the region are without power. Convoy of Hope has teams throughout Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas, supplying survivors with the relief they need to make it through this tragic time.
North Carolina is reeling today from flooding not seen in recent memory. As of Saturday, Helene had dumped a staggering 30 inches of rain in rural areas of the state. Tens of thousands of people have no power, clean drinking water, internet access, or cell phone service. Rapid flooding washed out roads and bridges. The National Guard is telling residents to shelter in place if at all possible — using the roads is too dangerous for thousands of people. Entire homes have disappeared in mudslides. One county alone has reported 30 deaths.
This weekend, Convoy distributed relief supplies to survivors in Florida. Over two days, more than 1,200 families in the town of Perry received food, water, hygiene kits, sports drinks, and tarps. Additional truckloads of relief supplies left today from Convoy’s World Distribution Center and are headed to Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida.
Convoy’s response to Hurricane Helene is only just beginning — communities throughout the Southeast will need time to pick up the pieces of their lives. Convoy is committed to stand with them and help provide them with the hope they need to endure.
September 29, 2024 |1:29 p.m.
Convoy of Hope is on the ground in Perry, Florida, distributing much-needed relief supplies to local and surrounding county residents again today. Yesterday, more than 1,500 families received water, groceries, and hygiene supplies.
Several Perry residents stayed in town and weathered the storm. Essential workers had to stay, and some stayed for their pets or family members who couldn’t leave.
“The wind was ferocious,” said Perry resident Dana.
One family who received supplies at the drive-thru distribution said they live in a cinder block house but still felt the effects of Helene’s powerful 140 mph winds.
“You know that weightless feeling you get in an elevator?” Diane, a member of the family, said. “That’s what it felt like.”
Helene’s damage extended beyond Florida. As the storm tracked further inland, it brought devastating winds and flooding across the Southeast.
Additional loads of relief supplies will leave our World Distribution Center today to head to the Tampa Bay area; Augusta, Georgia; and Morganton, North Carolina. More loads will be delivered across the impact area throughout the week.
In Augusta, Convoy is working with multiple churches and emergency management to resource weeklong citywide distributions.
Asheville, North Carolina, is experiencing catastrophic flooding. Convoy is working with multiple partners in the area to set up distributions. As the city opens up to outside traffic, Convoy will resource partners to begin serving people in need. With Morganton’s water treatment plant down due to the flood, Convoy is delivering a load of water to serve that community.
Convoy is in communication with partners on the ground to assess needs in Tennessee as a first step in a wider response.
September 28, 2024 | 3:25 p.m.
Convoy of Hope’s distribution is underway in the wake of Hurricane Helene, which left parts of Florida’s Big Bend region devastated. Helene caused at least 45 storm-related deaths across Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia. Moody’s Analytics expects $15 to $26 billion in property damage. More than 3 million people are still without power.
Convoy of Hope is on the ground in Perry, Florida, a community that has been devastated by three hurricanes in just over a year. Hurricane Idalia caused widespread damage as a Category 3 hurricane last year. Then the community faced flooding from slow-moving Hurricane Debby in August this year. Now Perry has taken a direct hit from Hurricane Helene.
“It was like an earthquake,” said one Perry resident, who rode out the storm in his motor home.
Today, Perry residents received groceries, water, and hygiene kits through our drive-thru distribution set up at the sawmill in town. Every family that came through the line talked about the debris, downed trees, loss of power, and, for a few, the total destruction of their homes.
Several Keaton Beach residents came through the distribution, tears in their eyes as they showed pictures of their inundated homes. Authorities estimate 90% of the homes in Keaton Beach are destroyed.
Additionally, Convoy sent a load of supplies to hard-hit Steinhatchee, a community of less than 1,000.
When a storm like Helene rips through small communities like Perry, Keaton Beach, and Steinhatchee, the devastation is felt in every home. Convoy is there to help people get back on their feet and make sure they have what they need to face the coming days of recovery.
“We’ll take it a day at a time,” said Roger, a Perry resident. “Every bit helps.”
September 28, 2024 | 9:24 a.m.
Convoy of Hope is in the disaster zone, preparing to distribute relief supplies in Perry, Florida, today. Perry is only 10 miles from where the eye of Hurricane Helene made landfall two days ago. This is the third time we’ve been in Perry in two years: Idalia, Debby, and now Helene.
“We’re so grateful for you being here,” Pastor Dave of Perry’s First Assembly of God Church told Convoy team members. “I told my friends, ‘Help is here.’ You people are incredible.”
Distributions of food, water, and relief supplies will start today and continue throughout the weekend.
More than 40 people have died because of the storm, and more than 3 million people are still without power throughout Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. Spoiled food and restricted access to medical services are just two important reasons that prolonged power outages are a huge concern for residents and businesses alike. Temperatures in the Southeast will continue to hover in the upper 80s and lower 90s for the next week, making the situation even more dangerous for the young and elderly.
Concern has shifted north into the Appalachia region of the United States. Even though Helene is now a post-tropical cyclone, it is bringing “catastrophic, historic flooding” over parts of Kentucky and Tennessee.
September 27, 2024 | 8:24 a.m.
Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Big Bend region near Perry, Florida, with 140 mph winds before roaring through Georgia as a strong tropical storm. Helene is the first known Category 4 storm to hit Florida’s Big Bend region since records began in 1851.
Nearly 4 million people are without power in Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Virginia. Even as a tropical storm, Helene is still producing record rainfall in parts of the Southeast, resulting in dangerous flash flooding.
Convoy of Hope is en route to the impact zone today, where teams will assess damage and begin meeting the needs of survivors.
As residents return to their homes, the level of damage and the long road to recovery can be frightening. Many people have lost everything — their homes, businesses, livelihoods. That is why Convoy of Hope is there — to offer assurance that they aren’t in this alone.
September 26, 2024 | 8:30 p.m.
Hurricane Helene is now an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane. Life-threatening storm surge of 15-20 feet is expected along Florida’s coast. More than 450,000 people in Florida are already without power. With heavy rains, powerful winds, and dangerous storm surge, damage will be catastrophic.
But help is on the way.
Convoy of Hope is en route to the area with disaster response personnel and truckloads of relief supplies.
“We’ll overnight in an area just outside of the projected impact zone so that we are ready to respond as soon as it’s safe to do so,” said Convoy’s Vice President of Disaster Services Stacy Lamb.
