Hurricane Helene facts: One year later

Helene struck our region and surrounding communities one year ago. What came as a surprise event for many caused irreparable damage to surrounding homes, schools and bridges.From record-breaking wind gusts to some of the highest recorded floods, these are facts and information about the storm, answering the how and why such a storm was able to break through into our region, with information to keep safe next time.Quick facts• Sept. 22 — A tropical body that would become known as Helene began to develop in the Gulf of Mexico.• Sept. 26 — The storm had grown into a Category Four hurricane while making landfall in Perry, Florida.• The storm was able to travel the Sunshine State's "Big Bend" region, continuing into central Georgia.• After being downgraded to tropical storm status, Helene would move into Tennessee and North Carolina.• According to the Tennessee Climate Office and the National Hurricane Center, over 100,000 reports of power outages were reported, four wastewater treatment plants impacted, 20 drinking water facilities impacted, five counties issued boil water advisories and 134 deaths occurred across our region in Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina.• The highest record of rainfall in Kingsport was 7.16 inches and the highest in Tennessee was 10.98 inches in the Trade community of Johnson County. The highest rainfall coming from Transylvania County in North Carolina, with 33.08 inches of rain.How the storm ravaged our region• Areas such as Unicoi County experienced extreme flash flooding. This is in part to a rain storm that made contact with the area days before Helene. Given the previous rain storm leaving above average moisture levels in the area, Helene was able to "work" its way into the region.• "The frontal weather system right before Helene primed the area, wet the soil, dumped rain, working together to bring much higher than usual rainfall," said Dr. Andrew Joyner, a member of the Tennessee Climate Office and an associate professor of climatology at East Tennessee State University.• Helene had more than double the average "flow rate," which is the volume of water moving past a specific point in a given time. "It was overwhelming, causing a 1 in 1,000 year event," Joyner said.• Industrial debris across the region moved quickly. Even as certain water levels returned to normal, debris dams broke away in the area. This caused damages not only to the land and surrounding homes, but also to bridges and other region-wide infrastructure.Future storm preparation• The Tennessee Climate Office, ETSU Department of Geoscience and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency are currently working together on a statewide weather analysis project. The new system will help create plans for future hazard preparation across the region.• The American Red Cross offers hurricane and other storm preparedness and safety information, including a new emergency application for iPhone and Android. For more information, visit redcross.org.• TEMA suggests that each family create a personal emergency plan, while having enough supplies such as medication and pet supplies on hand. To learn more about future preparedness, visit ready.gov.