Flooding from Hurricane Helene and associated impacts: A historical perspective

Abstract

During September 2024, Hurricane Helene devasted large areas of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, causing extensive loss of life and widespread damage due to heavy rainfall and extreme flooding. Despite the impacts of this storm, Helene’s heavy rainfall and resulting floods were not entirely unprecedented, as the region experienced several floods linked to tropical cyclones in the past, including multiple storms during the 2004 hurricane season. To make matters worse, this is an area with historically low market penetration by the National Flood Insurance Program, highlighting a strong asymmetry with respect to the coastal areas: while roughly 14% of the buildings in the eastern third of North Carolina were insured against floods, inland areas had less than a tenth of that coverage. Therefore, to improve resiliency and reduce the residual flood losses, it is critical to reconcile perceived versus actual flood risk and expand insurance coverage in hurricane-prone areas.