AUGUSTA, Ga. – Sherry Brown has gotten nearly the entire disastrous Hurricane Helene experience at her home. She’s out of power and water. A tree has fallen on her roof and crushed her SUV. She is harnessing power from her car’s alternator to keep her refrigerator running with just enough juice to preserve some food.

Brown is not alone in her struggles. Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc as it moved inland across Georgia, South Carolina, and into North Carolina, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Five days later, more than 1.4 million homes and businesses in these states are without power, according to poweroutage.us.