Bye Hurricane Helene, Enjoy Retirement

If you live in the CSRA or, for that matter, most of Georgia North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida, hearing the name Helene may send chills down your spine.

The aftermath of one of the country’s deadliest and most expensive hurricanes still has many victims trying to recover from the destruction left in her wake. The CSRA is no exception. It’s been more than six months since Helene tore through this area and for some, it is still a long road to recovery. Helene claimed 82 lives in Georgia and South Carolina, with 31 of them in the CSRA.

The World Meteorological Organization announced Wednesday that the names Helene, Milton, and Beryl are being retired due to the number of deaths and amount of damage - more than $119 billion - damage linked to those deadly storms.

There is a rotating six year list of names for Atlantic storms set in advance each year by a committee of international meteorologists. When the names of storms are retired, they are replaced in the rotation. It’s a way of honoring the victims while remembering the impact of those devastating storms. So now Helene, Milton, and Beryl are out. Brianna, Holly, and Miguel will take their places on the list.

Of the three storms, Helene was by far the worst, claiming 249 lives. That’s the deadliest storm since Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005.

According to the National Hurricane Center, Helene was also the seventh most expensive storm the United States has ever seen, affecting Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Florida with damage estimates reaching a total of $78.8 billion.

Helene came out of the Gulf and hit Florida’s Big Bend area as a Category 4 hurricane before moving on to Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.

Hurricane Milton quickly followed Helene, causing another $34 billion in damage, mostly in Florida.

Beryl was the earliest Category 5 storm last June, striking the United States, Grenada, Venezuela, Jamaica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. In all, 68 people lost their lives.

And here’s news no one wants to hear.

Hurricane researchers at Colorado State University are already predicting a busier-than-normal Atlantic hurricane season this year.

The season, which runs from June through November, is predicted to have 17 named storms, with at least nine of them becoming hurricanes. At least four are expected to strengthen into major hurricanes - Category 3 or stronger.