Butler students from states hit by Hurricane Helene and students impacted by the inclement weather in Indiana alike have felt the effect of the storm. Graphic by Reece Butler.

MOLLY DURM l STAFF REPORTER l mdurm@butler.edu

Although Indiana is a landlocked state, Butler University students were not unaffected by the devastation of Hurricane Helene as its remnants swept through Indianapolis. Heavy rain and strong winds caused down power lines and widespread tree damage. According to the National Weather Service, over 100,000 Hoosiers were without power at one point.

As a university that attracts students, faculty and staff from around the globe, many members of the community come from areas that were directly impacted by the storm. According to the National Weather Service, Hurricane Helene made landfall on the Florida Gulf Coast on Sept. 26 as a Category 4 storm. The hurricane caused significant damage across the southeast, especially the southern Appalachians. The states of Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas were the most heavily affected.

Junior criminology-psychology major Erica Fiegle is from Palm Harbor, Florida. She was intentional about communicating with her family back home as the storm swept through her hometown.

“I was able to stay in contact [with my family during the storm],” Fiegle said. “They dealt with a little bit of a power outage, but just ten minutes down the road they’re still waiting for power … The whole city of Dunedin is completely flooded. People are still driving through water if they have to go somewhere.”

Hurricane Helene has left a trail of devastation throughout the country. Many lives have been tragically lost and some are still stranded in isolated communities without power. Countless homes, businesses, roads and entire cities have suffered extensive damage. While it will take time to fully assess the storm’s impact, current reports from NBC News indicate that at least 223 people have died, with hundreds more still missing. 

Junior dance arts administration major Megan Wallace explained the impact Hurricane Helene had on her hometown of Marietta, Georgia. 

“Everything shut down Thursday and Friday,” Wallace said. “There was no school and a lot of restaurants and businesses all shut down … There was slight flooding [and] trees down but thankfully no major damages to my house.”

It was not only the coastal regions that felt the hurricane’s wrath; those along the Appalachian mountains experienced their own set of challenges. Assistant professor of strategic communication Alexander Carter has many loved ones who live in Chimney Rock, North Carolina. 

Carter described the destruction his friends and family members are still dealing with due to Hurricane Helene. 

“We have some friends and family that were completely cut off [from the internet] and the devastation there was insane,” Carter said. “Entire communities were wiped away and just don’t exist anymore … The friends we have out there evacuated and they’ve not been able to get back. They don’t know what the state of everything is but just looking at everything they are pretty sure whatever they had out there is gone.”

For those living far from the coast, the threat of a hurricane often seems distant — especially for those in the mountains, thousands of feet above sea level. However, a hurricane’s path of destruction can be difficult to accurately predict, making the horrific impact the hurricane had on the Appalachians all the more shocking to the region. 

“It was a pretty devastating thing that no one expected would happen,” Carter said. “You’re 2,000 feet above sea level. You don’t expect that you would see flooding this bad, but it just happened … and then everything changes in just a week.”

Natural disasters like Hurricane Helene leave lasting damage, impacting communities long after the storm has passed. The rebuilding processes can stretch on for weeks, months or even years. 

Numerous initiatives are dedicated to providing resources and support to help these communities recover. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, federal assistance for hurricane survivors has now surpassed $137 million. The Biden-Harris administration has also directed the Department of Defense to deploy 1,000 active-duty soldiers to support the delivery of food, water and other necessities to communities that were impacted by the hurricane. 

Along with federal assistance, much of the hurricane relief has been driven by citizens donating to charities dedicated to supporting those whose lives have been uprooted due to the storm. Students who wish to contribute can donate to the World Central Kitchen and the American Red Cross. These programs and countless others are focused on providing fresh meals, medical care, rebuilding assistance and overall support to affected communities. 

While the worst of Hurricane Helene’s devastation struck far from Indiana, its impact still reached the Butler community, proving that the effects of a natural disaster can still be felt from afar. As Butler continues to foster a global community, the impact of events like Hurricane Helene will continue to not only impact the university physically, but also emotionally as students and staff with loved ones residing in the hardest-hit areas faced the storm’s destruction first hand.