AASHTO Journal - State DOTs Chronicle Hurricane Helene Recovery Efforts

To mark the one-year anniversary of the destruction wreaked by Hurricane Helene, several state departments of transportation released videos that chronicled the short- and long-term infrastructure recovery efforts launched in the wake of the historic storm.

[Above image by Tennessee DOT]

The North Carolina Department of Transportation released two videos regarding fallout from the massive flooding generated by Helene. The first provided an overview of the damage caused by the storm and how the agency responded in the aftermath.

The second video features interviews with six NCDOT employees from Divisions 13 and 14 to get their personal reflections and insights on the challenges, teamwork, and resilience that carried Western North Carolina through the storm recovery process.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation touched on the invaluable fiscal support provided by the state’s government to help fund recovery efforts.

“Our recovery efforts would not have gone as quickly without the assistance of Governor Bill Lee (R) and the General Assembly and their passing of the Transportation Modernization Act,” said Will Reid, commissioner of the Tennessee DOT, in a statement. “That legislation provided Tennessee DOT with the tools and funds needed to immediately and effectively respond to Hurricane Helene.”

The South Carolina Department of Transportation provided an in-depth focus on one aspect of its Helene recovery efforts: the accelerated the emergency replacement of 10 bridges that faced closures due to storm damage.

The video produced by the agency highlighted the replacement project for a bridge on North Burris Road in York County.

Finally, though not in a video format, the Georgia Department of Transportation shared details on its Helene recovery operations via an episode of its “Ahead of the Curve” podcast.

Matt Needham, emergency management assistant operations coordinator with Georgia DOT, and Will Volk, communications officer for Georgia DOT’s East Georgia Region, discuss the impact of Helene on the state’s transportation system.

They also dive into the critical lessons learned from the storm and how Georgia DOT is using those lessons to prepare for future hurricane threats across the state.