Hurricane Helene power outages leave over 4 million in the dark – history shows poorer areas often wait longest for electricity to be restored

Hurricane Helene left more than 4 million homes and businesses in the dark across Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas after hitting Florida's Big Bend region as a powerful Category 4 storm late on Sept. 26, 2024. As Helene's rains moved inland, officials warned that fixing downed utility lines and restoring power would take several days in some areas.

Electricity is essential to just about everyone - rich and poor, old and young. Yet, when severe storms strike, socioeconomically disadvantaged communities often wait longest to recover.

That isn't just a perception.

We analyzed data from over ...