From Staff Reports 

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Tropical Storm Helene wreaked havoc through the Upstate on Sept. 27, with its wind, rain and flooding resulting in at least 42 deaths in South Carolina.

The historic storm also destroyed numerous homes and left hundreds of thousands of customers without power.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden flew into Greenville-Spartanburg Airport in Greer on Oct. 2 for a visit with South Carolina and North Carolina first-responders. Biden also did a fly-over, during which he surveyed damage from Tropical Storm Helene in the Carolinas.

To that end, a story in the Oct. 5 edition of USA Today, headlined “Helene costs may top $30 billion; death toll increases again” reported that “more than 200 people have died in Helene’s path, making it one of the deadliest hurricanes to hit in the mainland U.S. since 1950.”

Specifically, the story stated, “The ($30 billion) estimates account for wind loss, insured and uninsured storm surge, and inland flood loss for residential and commercial properties across 16 states, according to CoreLogic, a California-based financial and consumer analytics company that tallied losses. 

“Helene, which first hit Florida as a category 4 hurricane on Sept. 26, is estimated to have caused between $10.5 and $17.5 billion of insured losses alone,” USA Today noted.

In Helene’s aftermath, the office of U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, R-Seneca, on Sept. 27 emailed the Upstate Daily Planet the following statement:

“Tropical Storm Helene is having a devastating impact on South Carolina. I spoke with Duke Energy leadership yesterday (Sept. 26). They seem well-prepared to act and restore power promptly.”