Hurricane Helene

Our Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DART) in North Carolina continue making strides, having engaged over 40 volunteers to provide crucial relief to homes impacted by Hurricane Helene. Every day, we tackle muck and gut operations, debris removal and more, assessing new homes and reaching the hardest-hit areas. We’re partnering with local organizations to identify unmet needs and ramping up efforts with our residential volunteer program starting Friday, which will bring even more helping hands from around the world. Some remote areas still need aid, but we’re committed to reaching them soon. Your donations are vital to this recovery.

Assisted by local volunteers, we’ve completed over 60 assessments, 11 hazardous tree removal sites, 8 sites of debris removal and 4 complete muck and guts in response to Hurricane Helene across Florida and North Carolina. Our efforts are now expanding as remote regions are becoming more accessible, and we continue to see a huge need for assistance. Volunteers are invited to join us on the ground in North Carolina starting October 11 as we continue providing critical relief and recovery.

Hurricane Helene’s death toll has risen to over 200, making it the deadliest hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland since Katrina in 2005. Nearly 1 million homes and businesses are still without power, and tens of thousands lack running water.

All Hands and Hearts has been working tirelessly to support communities impacted by Hurricane Helene. Our teams have already assessed over 40 homes and completed critical tasks such as debris removal, mucking, gutting and hazardous tree removal across more than 15 sites. An additional focus is partnering with local organizations to manage distribution hubs and help clear homes and businesses of the debris, mud, and silt left behind by the floodwaters.

We are now inviting volunteers to join us on the ground in North Carolina, with opportunities to start as early as October 11. Your help is essential to our mission of providing relief to communities in need. Sign up to volunteer today.

“Here in North Carolina, we’re seeing devastation like some of the worst storms that we’ve seen affect the United States,” said Jess Thompson, CEO of All Hands and Hearts in an interview from Asheville, North Carolina with Jake Tapper of CNN’s The Lead. “And really, here, we’re seeing, because of the mountainous geography, such severe impacts. I have never seen, in 15 years, in this sector the number of helicopters flying over to deliver supplies, because communities remain cut off. We won’t know the full impact of this storm for days and weeks, because the landslides have closed the roads, and the cell reception is still out.” Watch the full interview here.

All Hands and Hearts Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DART) are mobilizing towards the most heavily impacted areas to conduct on-the-ground assessments and provide immediate relief.

Our Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DART) are actively collaborating with local communities to address urgent needs in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Our teams are focused on critical tasks such as debris removal and clearing hazardous trees to help restore safety and access. While providing immediate relief, we are also remotely assessing the impacts in the regions we cannot access. Many areas of western North Carolina still lack power and cellular service, complicating our relief efforts. As road conditions improve, we will expand our reach into more remote, heavily impacted areas. We are in close communication with the North Carolina VOAD, preparing to partner with local communities as soon as conditions permit while being mindful of the ongoing resource challenges.

All Hands and Hearts has mobilized a team to North Carolina to support communities impacted by Hurricane Helene. The storm has caused significant damage in the region, particularly in western North Carolina. Asheville and surrounding areas have experienced widespread flooding, power outages and road closures. This deployment adds to our ongoing response efforts across Florida, where we continue to assess damage and provide aid.

Hurricane Helene has caused extensive damage throughout North Carolina, with strong winds and torrential rain leading to severe flooding and widespread power outages. Western regions, especially Asheville, have been particularly hard hit, with submerged roads, damaged homes and thousands of residents still without electricity. Alongside its ongoing efforts in Florida, All Hands and Hearts is now mobilizing a response team to Asheville and the surrounding areas to assess the damage and assist communities in their recovery efforts.

Hurricane Helene has unleashed intense flooding and dangerous weather across Georgia and the Carolinas, with over a foot of rain in several areas. Flash flood emergencies are in effect, while Atlanta and nearby regions are facing widespread travel disruptions, including flight delays and cancellations. Power outages are affecting many communities, with tornado watches still active. Emergency shelters have been opened to assist displaced residents. All Hands and Hearts is actively tracking the situation and will continue providing relief to impacted communities.

Just two days after Hurricane Helene’s landfall, All Hands and Hearts has mobilized several teams across Florida to assess and address the widespread impacts. Initial field assessments are already underway, with teams preparing to start mucking and gutting homes affected by the storm’s heavy rains. The effects of Hurricane Helene are still being felt across much of the southeastern United States with many areas inundated with heavy rainfall and flash flooding. Reports are still coming in that many residents are still without power.

Support communities affected by Hurricane Helene today.

Although Helene is now a post-tropical cyclone near the Kentucky-Indiana border, widespread significant river flooding continues across the southern Appalachians. Maximum sustained winds are still near 25 mph with even higher gusts.

At least 45 people have lost their lives across five states as millions remain without power following Hurricane Helene’s destructive path. Many areas, especially in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, are experiencing widespread flooding, with some regions recording more than a foot of rainfall. Emergency shelters have been set up to assist those displaced by the storm, and parts of Georgia are still under tornado warnings as the severe weather continues to threaten the region.

Helene has now been downgraded to a Tropical Storm, but it continues to bring damaging wind gusts across Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee and Kentucky. There remains a risk of long-duration power outages throughout parts of the southeastern United States as the storm moves inland.

In response to the widespread impacts caused by Hurricane Helene, All Hands and Hearts has committed to a 12-month response to support affected communities and assist with long-term recovery efforts.

Hurricane Helene made a historic landfall last night as the only known Category 4 hurricane to hit Florida’s Big Bend since records began in 1851. The storm came ashore around 11 PM near Perry, FL, southwest of Tallahassee, and has since moved inland. Now weakened to a tropical storm, Helene is currently over Georgia but continues to bring life-threatening rain, wind, and flooding throughout the Southeast. Damages are expected to be widespread and varied.

More than 1 million Floridians are waking up without power, still feeling the storm’s aftereffects. As Helene passes, All Hands and Hearts is prepared to move in and assess the damages. Our Florida team, safely sheltered in Orlando, is also feeling Helene’s impact, while homeowners in Ft. Myers are already reporting rising water levels and damage in their area.

The scale of our response is still being evaluated, but a team will be in the affected area as soon as it is safe.

Hurricane Helene continues to produce catastrophic winds, now pushing further inland over the Florida Big Bend and Florida Panhandle, with impacts soon reaching southeastern Georgia. This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation. Helene is currently located about 45 miles east-southeast of Tallahassee, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph. The storm is moving north-northeast at 24 mph, continuing its rapid inland progression.

Located about 65 miles south of Tallahassee, the eyewall of the extremely dangerous Category 4 Hurricane Helene is now beginning to move ashore along Florida’s Big Bend coast. Helene is producing catastrophic winds, which will spread across the Big Bend region over the next few hours. Maximum sustained winds have reached 140 mph, with even higher gusts reported. 

Hurricane Helene is now located approximately 170 miles west-southwest of Tampa, Florida, and continues to intensify. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles from the center, while tropical-storm-force winds extend outward as far as 345 miles. According to Air Force Hurricane Hunters, Helene’s wind speeds have increased to 120 mph, making it a Category 3 major hurricane. This rapid intensification elevates the threat to coastal and inland areas.

All Hands and Hearts remains on high alert and ready to respond, with teams prepared to mobilize in the storm’s aftermath to support impacted communities.

Helene has become a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained wind speeds of 100 mph. While moving north-northeast at 12 mph, a significant increase in forward speed is expected over the next 24 hours. Forecasts still anticipate Helene becoming a major hurricane before making landfall in Florida’s Big Bend. All Hands and Hearts’ Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) is staged in Louisiana and prepared to deploy to the affected areas as soon as it is safe. 

Currently located 460 miles southwest of Tampa, Hurricane Helene continues to strengthen with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph and is moving at 12 mph. The National Hurricane Center now forecasts deadly storm surges that could reach up to 20 feet above ground level along parts of the coast.

Having responded to Hurricane Ian in Florida over the past two years, All Hands and Hearts is fully prepared to support response efforts for this major event. Our teams are ready to assist affected communities once Helene makes landfall.

Hurricane Helene has strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph. Additional intensification is expected, with Helene forecast to become a Category 3 major hurricane by the time it makes landfall on Florida’s Big Bend coast Thursday evening. While Helene will likely weaken after landfall, its rapid forward movement will carry strong, damaging winds far inland, affecting the southeastern United States as far north as the Tennessee Valley.

Given Helene’s large size, there is a significant risk of life-threatening storm surge along the entire west coast of Florida and the Florida Big Bend. A Tropical Storm Warning has been extended northward to include the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina, with tropical storm conditions expected within the next 36 hours in the warning area. Helene is on track to become one of the fastest-evolving storms, rapidly progressing from a potential tropical cyclone to a major hurricane.

All Hands and Hearts has positioned the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) and is prepared to support communities in the aftermath of the storm. Donate today.

Tropical Storm Helene is currently moving northwest at 9 mph with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph and stronger gusts. On its projected path, the center of Helene will pass near the Yucatan Peninsula this morning, crossing the eastern Gulf of Mexico later today and Thursday. Landfall is expected along Florida’s Big Bend coast late Thursday. Helene will be upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane as soon as sustained wind speeds reach 74 mph, with rapid strengthening likely. The storm is expected to surpass Category 1 and intensify into a Category 3 major hurricane, with wind speeds exceeding 110 mph.

All Hands and Hearts is actively monitoring the progress of Helene as it moves toward the Gulf Coast.

Tropical Storm Helene has formed over the northwestern Caribbean Sea, moving at 12 mph with sustained winds near 45 mph. Tropical-storm-force winds extend up to 140 miles east of the center. We are closely monitoring Tropical Storm Helene which is expected to strengthen into Hurricane Helene. Forecast models indicate rapid intensification into a major hurricane within 48 hours as it tracks toward Florida’s Big Bend, following a similar path to Hurricane Idalia in 2023 and Hurricane Debby earlier this year. If Helene makes landfall, it would be the fourth named storm to hit the U.S. this season, potentially the strongest in over a year.

All Hands and Hearts is closely tracking Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine, which is projected to strengthen into a major hurricane as it nears the northeastern Gulf Coast on Thursday. Heavy rainfall is expected to impact parts of the western Caribbean. Moving at speeds near 9 mph, this general motion is expected later today and tonight, followed by a faster northward to north-eastward motion on Wednesday and Thursday. Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph with higher gusts.

Invest 97L has developed into Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine and is expected to strengthen, approaching near hurricane strength by Tuesday night as it reaches the Caribbean Sea. Forecasts show it intensifying as it moves northward over the eastern Gulf of Mexico, posing an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge and damaging hurricane-force winds along the northern and northeastern Gulf Coast. All Hands and Hearts is closely monitoring this severe weather system for potential impacts.

The tropical system Invest 97L is expected to move northward over the Gulf of Mexico and to communities along the northern and northeastern Gulf Coast. The development of Invest 97L will likely continue to increase and a tropical depression or tropical storm could form in the western Caribbean by Tuesday. On Thursday or Thursday night, the storm is predicted to make landfall somewhere between Louisiana and Florida as a tropical storm or as Hurricane Helene producing heavy rain and gusty winds along its path.