SOUTHERN REGION — Hurricane Helene slammed into the Florida coast in late September before tearing into the southeastern United States. Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina suffered storm-related damages, including severe power outages. There are more than 250 dead\, with countless more still unaccounted for. The storm also wiped out roads throughout the affected areas, leaving entire communities completely cut off from emergency services and supplies. 

Then, on Oct. 9, Hurricane Milton made landfall as a Category 3 storm off the west coast of Florida, leaving nearly 25 dead and severely impacting the state. Wind gusts exceeded 100 mph and storm surges exceeding 10 feet ravaged Sarasota County, while the Tampa Bay area suffered historic rainfall.

While recovery efforts got underway immediately, affected areas are still grappling with access to basic necessities like water, food and accessibility. In fact, many of the affected states still have emergency declarations in place.

USDA Forest Service personnel and lands were also impacted by Helene and Milton. Fortunately, all Forest Service employees survived the hurricanes, but many face the same challenges to their property and recovery as their neighbors. 

Despite the challenges, the Forest Service remains focused on protecting lives, keeping people safe and ensuring employee well-being. Part of the response and recovery efforts includes closing forest lands due to unsafe conditions. Trails may be impacted by saturated soils, erosion, hazard trees or fallen limbs. Conditions continue to change daily, limiting emergency response in some areas.

State of affected national forests

Forest Service lands along the Georgia side of the Appalachian Trail pass are open, but emergency response is still limited. Currently, the Forest Service is working on finalizing a complete damage assessment of the forest. Because of this, the Forest Service, Appalachian Trail Conservancy and the National Park Service ask hikers to postpone their trips to the Appalachian Trail in this section. Other affected forests include:

• Ocala National Forest suffered extensive power outages and is completely closed.  

• George Washington & Jefferson National Forests: Mount Rogers National Recreation Area in Virigina remains closed. All sections of the Viriginia Creeper Trail located on the recreation area are closed as well. An initial assessment identified three damaged and 13 destroyed trestles, with the conditions of another 12 currently still unknown. The trestles support a trail system that runs through some of the most rugged terrain in southwest Virginia.

• National Forests in North Carolina: Nantahala National Forest has reopened, while the Pisgah remains closed.

• Sumter National Forest and the Long Cane Ranger District will remain closed due until assessments are completed.

The initial list of closures was more extensive, but thankfully, the response efforts have enabled many areas to reopen. Areas are expected to continue to reopen in coming days and weeks.

Responding to the crisis

Despite the closures and challenges, our employees are committed to the reopening of our public lands, always keeping safety at the forefront. 

In North Carolina, a crew from the Cheoah and Nantahala ranger districts brought heavy equipment to Mount Pisgah, helping the North Carolina Forest Service and Haywood County government clear trees and debris from 1.5 miles of road leading to the communications site on the mountain’s summit. The Mount Pisgah communications site serves multiple media agencies along with several emergency responders and law enforcement groups.

People from all over the country have responded to assist in clearing the Virginia Creeper trail, including a 20-person saw crew from El Yunque National Forest. In early October, seven crews worked to clear roads on the Chattooga River Ranger District of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest following Hurricane Helene. 

In late September, a Sumter National Forest employee received a call from the Merriwether Fire Rescue for assistance on a medical emergency about 20 miles from Edgefield, South Carolina. The call was from an individual who lived on a Forest Service road that was impassable after the storm and who was in need of oxygen. The one-way in, one-way out road was so impacted that rescuers didn’t even recognize it when they first arrived. After five hours, they were able to cut through stacked, tangled, windblown trees to reach the house, clearing a path for the ambulance to provide emergency care. 

Despite the ongoing hardships, the regional work schedule has returned to normal. The Southern Region, while maintaining focus on keeping employees healthy and safe, is fully committed to continuing response and recovery efforts within forest lands and communities affected by these hurricanes