Widespread devastation left behind by Hurricane Helene came into light Monday across the South, revealing a wasteland of splintered houses, crushed cargo containers and mud-covered highways in one of the worst storms in U.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell tells PEOPLE Helene was “a unique storm,” that brought “different types of threats” to different areas across the U.S. South

Hurricane Helene’s remnants caused catastrophic damage to the Southeast, with a death toll nearing 140 people.