This was a historic hurricane. Its impacts were felt across Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Georgia received a tremendous amount of rain, especially in the North Carolina Mountains. The storm surge was at record-breaking levels in Florida, and there was widespread wind damage from the hurricane and tornadoes.
Every hurricane is different. Helene probably caused more damage in western NC than in Florida, where it made landfall. That's over 450 miles away. Never take the threats lightly. There was not much those folks in western NC could have done. Some places received over 30 inches of rain in two days.