At least 44 people are dead across five states in the wake of Helene, according to reporting by The Associated Press. The storm made landfall in Florida's Big Bend as a Category 4 hurricane Thursday night and led to fatalities in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina South Carolina and Virginia.
In Florida, one person traveling on I-4 in Tampa was killed when a sign struck their vehicle, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a late-night press conference.
Five people died in Pinellas County amid severe storm surge flooding, Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said.
A spokesperson for Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said 11 people have died in the state as a result of the storm. Reports said two of those people died in Wheeler County when a suspected tornado overturned a mobile home, according to local station 13WMAZ. Another two reportedly died in Laurens County, Georgia, one when a tree fell on a house and another in a car crash, according to EMA Director Bill Laird.
McDuffie County Coroner Paul Johnson said a 27-year-old and her two 1-month-old children died when trees fell on their house near Augusta. In the same county, another 89-year-old woman died when trees fell on her house.
In Charlotte, North Carolina, one person was killed and another is facing life-threatening injuries after a tree fell on a house, according to a post shared by Mecklenburg Emergency Medical Services Agency.
At least 19 people died in South Carolina, authorities there said, many of them victims of falling trees. Two firefighters died while responding to a call when a tree fell on their truck. In multiple counties, people died when trees fell on their homes, authorities said.
Helene has become the deadliest tropical storm to affect South Carolina since 1989, when Hurricane Hugo killed 35 people as it came ashore in the state.
Helene brought catastrophic winds, heavy rain and flooding as a hurricane overnight. Responders in multiple Southeast states were tasked with risky rescues amid the conditions.
In Pasco, Florida, the local sheriff’s office said it performed approximately 200 rescues overnight, which slowed as water levels receded Friday morning.
The Pasco Sheriff’s Office is honored to serve and protect our community. We are grateful that water is receding along the US19 corridor and, with that, rescue calls for service have slowed. Approximately 200 people were rescued from rising water in Pasco County overnight in a… pic.twitter.com/gwWSOiSLu8
— Pasco Sheriff (@PascoSheriff) September 27, 2024
In Atlanta, more than 25 people were rescued from floodwaters, according to reports. The city was under a flash flood warning Friday morning, the National Weather Service said. It had received a record 11.12 inches of rainfall in a 48-hour period.
There were people trapped and requiring rescue in more than 115 homes, Gov. Kemp said Friday.
More than 100 swiftwater rescues took place in North Carolina, where Gov. Roy Cooper said landslides were a particular threat.
Blackouts
Millions in the Southeast are dealing with power outages caused by the storm.
In Florida, more than 500,000 customers were without power as of Friday night, according to PowerOutage.us.
Another 1.1 million were without power in South Carolina, more than 800,000 were without power in Georgia, and more than 600,000 customers in North Carolina didn't have power, PowerOutage.us said.
As the storm moves further inland, it is expected to stall out over the Tennessee Valley. But as it slows, it could deliver enough heavy rains to flood numerous regions. Much of the Carolinas, Virginia and Tennessee were under flood advisories on Friday.
High wind warnings were issued in parts of Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana.
Helene had become a post-tropical cyclone by Friday afternoon, but it could still continue to produce rain over the Ohio Valley over the weekend. The rain could actually be helpful there as much of the region has been under a severe drought.
RELATED STORY | Helene brings catastrophic flooding, demands huge rescue and cleanup efforts
