After making initial landfall last week, Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc on large swaths of the Southeast United States, Mexico, and Cuba. As the domestic death toll of the historic Category 4 storm hit 116 between six states — a number that could continue to rise, according to officials — residents are not only grappling with the loss of their loved ones but the destruction of their communities.
From submerged homes to a young girl braving floodwaters in Cuba, here are 22 devastating photos from Hurricane Helene's wake.
1
The remains of several destroyed buildings in Steinhatchee, Florida. Courtesy of USA Today.
2
A man braves floodwaters in Gulfport, Florida. Courtesy of Time.
3
A young girl floats through floodwaters in a makeshift raft in Batabano, Mayabeque province, Cuba. Courtesy of Time.
4
A boat capsizes amid stormy weather in St. Petersburg , Florida. Courtesy of Time.
5
A woman stands in the knee-deep floodwaters filling her Batabano, Cuba home. Courtesy of Time.
6
The remnants of a century-old hime in Valdosta, Georigia. Courtesy of Time.
7
An aerial view of a home destroyed in Cedar Key, Florida. Courtesy of The Palm Beach Post.
8
Floodwaters lap over Guy Ford Road in North Carolina. Courtesy of Time.
9
A damaged boat in Steinhatchee, Florida. Courtesy of USA Today.
10
Police officers hitch a ride in flooded Steinhatchee, Florida. Courtesy of NBC News.
11
A boat washed ashore in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Steinhatchee, Florida. Courtesy of The Palm Beach Post.
12
Two men wade through floodwater in St. Petersburg, Florida. Courtesy of NBC News.
13
“Appalachian State student/Helene aftermath.”
14
The foundation of where a home once stood in Cedar Key, Florida. Courtesy of The Palm Beach Post.
15
A glimpse inside a Cedar Key, Florida motel destroyed in the hurricane. Courtesy of The Palm Beach Post.
16
A helicopter flies over storm wreckage in Dekle Beach, Florida. Courtesy of the New York Times.
17
Trees and the remains of what appears to be a local bar in Steinhatchee, Fla. Courtesy of the New York Times.
18
A man jumps atop a nearly-submerged car in Boone, North Carolina. Courtesy of the New York Times.
19
Some of the several Dekle Beach, Florida homes that were destroyed in the Category 4 storm. Courtesy of The New York Times
20
Two U-Hauls sit damaged in Asheville, North Carolina. Courtesy of NBC News.
21
A house in Crystal River, Fla. submerged in water after Hurricane Helene made landfall on Thursday evening. Courtesy of NPR.
22
An underwater street in Boone, North Carolina. Courtesy of The Appalachian.
