Hurricane Helene Anniversary: Rebuilding Carolinas After Historic Damage [Weather Podcast Ep. 558]

Carolina Weather Group

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In September 2024, Hurricane Helene tore through the Southeastern United States, bringing deadly storm surge, destructive winds, tornadoes, and record-breaking rainfall. Combined with a rare Predecessor Rainfall Event (PRE), the storm caused catastrophic flooding across North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, leaving behind nearly $80 billion in damage.

One year later, the Carolina Weather Group brings you this anniversary special report, filmed on location across the Carolinas, documenting the lasting damage, recovery efforts, and ongoing rebuilding.

In this program, we visit:

Asheville, NC, where the River Arts District became the epicenter of national flood coverage after the French Broad River engulfed buildings and crippled the city’s infrastructure.

Black Mountain and East Asheville, where residents endured devastating flash flooding with little access to outside help.

Fletcher, NC, where the French Broad River crested 10 feet higher than the infamous 1916 flood.

South Carolina Upstate communities, where hurricane-force winds up to 106 mph brought down trees and power lines.

NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) in Asheville, where scientists managed without power or water to preserve vital U.S. climate archives.

The National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg office, where forecasters issued life-saving warnings while enduring the storm themselves.

This anniversary documentary blends firsthand accounts, scientific analysis, and official data to provide one of the most complete records yet of Hurricane Helene’s impact on the Carolinas and Appalachia.

⏱️ Chapters

00:00 – Introduction: Hurricane Helene’s Landfall and Damage Overview

02:00 – On Location in Asheville: One Year After the Storm

04:30 – The River Arts District: Epicenter of Flooding and Destruction

07:15 – French Broad River Flooding: Buildings, Cars, and Infrastructure Lost

10:00 – Landslides and Debris Flows Across Appalachia

12:30 – Evan Fisher Joins: Walking Through Asheville’s Recovery

16:00 – Comparing Helene to the 1916 Flood in Western North Carolina

19:45 – Black Mountain: Floodwaters Overwhelm Neighborhoods

23:00 – Community Meetings and Radio: How Residents Stayed Informed

26:00 – Search, Rescue, and Reunification: Stories of Survival

30:00 – Inside NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (Asheville)

34:00 – Protecting America’s Weather Archives During the Storm

38:00 – Rainfall Data and “1-in-1,000-Year” Event Analysis

41:00 – National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg: Messaging a Catastrophic Storm

44:00 – Closing Reflections: Damage, Recovery, and Rebuilding the Carolinas

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The Carolina Weather Group operates a weekly talk show of the same name. Broadcasting each week from the Carolinas, the show is dedicated to covering weather, science, technology, and more with newsmakers from the field of atmospheric science. With co-hosts across both North Carolina and South Carolina, the show may closely feature both NC weather and SC weather, but the topics are universally enjoyable for any weather fan. Join us as we talk about weather, the environment, the atmosphere, space travel, and all the technology that makes it possible.

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