When Hurricane Helene struck the Southeast in late September, it quickly became one of the deadliest U.S. hurricanes of the last 50 years, second only to Hurricane Katrina. At least 228 people died as a result of the storm. Helene was also one of the largest storms in recent decades, similar in size to Katrina at 400 miles wide. Nearly 2 million people lost power as unprecedented winds and rain hit Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee.