On September 26, Hurricane Helene hit the west coast of Florida as a category 4 storm and one of the largest hurricanes. AP News reported that at landfall, winds were up to 140 mph and the storm was 400 miles wide. Roadways were destroyed, beach homes were blown away, and extensive flooding destroyed buildings/towns. Many of Covenant student’s friends,’ families’ or their own homes were severely damaged.
One Covenant student, Charlie Curtis ‘25, resident of Tampa, Florida, says that his neighbors had “had two feet [of water] in their home, destroying almost everything they owned, and it's not looking good with insurance. One neighbor had fish from their pond swimming through their home. Another had their Tesla blow up in their garage due to the salt water and lithium battery mixing.” These conditions in Florida are devastating, many residents are now homeless and unsure if insurance will cover their repairs to make their homes livable again.
As reported by CNN, Helene continued moving northward, and South Carolina and North Carolina were hit particularly hard with flooding. This was because a smaller storm blew through before Helene, filling the rivers. In the Appalachian mountains, full rivers overflowed their banks with the rain from Helene and destroyed all the homes in its wake. One town, Chimney Rock, was completely destroyed with not one building left unscathed. As the water flowed down into the valleys, Asheville, North Carolina got hit with extremely high flood waters. Cybil Vander Top ’25, whose sister lives in Asheville, remarked: “I didn’t grow up in Asheville, but I had the opportunity to experience its beauty this summer while visiting my sister. After the hurricane hit, it has been shocking to see images of places that are so memorable they’re instantly recognizable, contrasted with others that are no longer familiar at all. I feel discouraged when I see these images and think about all the work needed to restore Asheville to its former beauty. Thankfully, when I talk to my sister, she has a different outlook. She is genuinely eager to roll up her sleeves and lend a hand to her neighbors in any way possible.”
According to the Associated Press, as of October 5, the death toll was 227 people, with many still missing. This makes this hurricane the most deadly since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Search and rescue teams are still working to find missing people and rescue those who are stuck by impassable roads. All the inland places that were hit by Hurricane Helene need continued prayers and relief, especially North and South Carolina.
Since the hurricane has been a huge hit to these areas’ resources, the Athletics Department set up a fundraising event to send money to the Mission North America Relief Organization. This took place on October 2 and 5 where hot dogs were sold at the home matches for tennis and the home games for men's soccer. All proceeds from the sale of the hotdogs were donated to send relief to those affected by Hurricane Helene.
As Hurricane Milton grows closer to Florida, residents are trying to prepare once again for the destruction it will bring. Curtis said, “Pray for my parents, who are currently in Tampa, my neighbors and all affected by the hurricane, as I know some with major damages and flooding all the way in North Carolina. Pray for all those in the way of Milton as well.”