Hurricane Helene’s deadly destruction across US could cost $30 billion

Hurricane Helene has killed at least 110 people and left hundreds more unaccounted for as it cuts a 500-mile path of destruction across six US states.

Roads, bridges, and communications are down throughout the East Coast, while one mountain town, Swannanoa in North Carolina, has been “completely and entirely erased,” its former inhabitants told The Washington Post, with residents forced to flee their homes via upstairs windows as floodwaters rose.

President Joe Biden will visit the region this week, while the remnants of the storm will bring heavy rainfall over the coming days.

So far, Helene has likely caused more than $30 billion in economic damage, analysts predict, with huge consequences for the US insurance sector, which is increasingly affected by the changing weather patterns driven by climate change.