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Millions of Americans were still without power and many faced flash flooding on Saturday, officials said, as powerful Hurricane Helene tore through eastern and midwestern US states, killing at least 44 people. Done.
At least 19 people died in South Carolina, 15 in Georgia, seven in Florida, two in North Carolina and one in Virgina, according to AFP, according to the latest reports from local authorities.
Repair crews were already at work after Helene hit Florida as a Category 4 hurricane late Thursday and moved north, gradually weakening but leaving a path of rare destruction.
“Conditions will continue to improve today after the devastating flooding of the past two days,” the National Weather Service said.
But it warned of possible “prolonged power outages”.
Although power has been restored in some areas, more than 3 million customers were without power in 10 states as of Saturday afternoon, according to tracker poweroutage.us.
‘Go to higher ground’
Helene originally hit Florida’s northern Gulf Coast with sustained winds of 140 mph (225 km/h). Even as a weakened post-tropical storm, it has wreaked havoc.
With a dam in Tennessee on the brink of failure, officials say record flood levels threaten to breach dams, prompting residents to evacuate to higher ground.
Extensive flooding has been reported in Asheville, western North Carolina. Governor Ray Cooper called the storm to hit his state “one of the worst storms in modern history.”
In Cedar Key, an island town of 700 people just off Florida’s northwest coast, the hurricane’s devastation was visible.
Many pastel-colored wooden houses were destroyed, hit by record storm surges and strong winds.
“I’ve lived here my whole life, and it breaks my heart to see this. We haven’t really caught a break,” said Gabby Doughty, a Cedar Key official, referring to the first two hurricanes of the past year. .
‘Gut Punch’
Officials said two firefighters and six Spartanburg County residents were among the dead in South Carolina.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp’s office has confirmed 15 deaths in his state, including one by an emergency responder.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the damage from Helene was more than Hurricanes Adelia and Debbie, which both hit the same area southeast of Tallahassee in the past 13 months.
“It’s a real gut punch for these communities,” DeSantis told Fox News.
In the town of Erwin, Tennessee, a dramatic rescue operation unfolded, as more than 50 patients and staff trapped on a hospital roof by rising floodwaters had to be rescued by helicopters.
Up to 12 inches (30 cm) of rain was forecast in the Appalachian Mountains, with 20 inches predicted in isolated locations.
Remnants of a weak storm hovered over the Kentucky-Indiana border Saturday afternoon, dropping up to 2 inches of rain.
‘Great’ loss
In a statement on Saturday, President Joe Biden called Helen’s devastation “tremendous.” They said they were sending additional response personnel as the storm moved north.
Vice President Kamala Harris said the administration has already mobilized 1,500 personnel to assist affected communities.
September has been an unusually wet month around the world, with scientists linking some of the extreme weather events to human-caused global warming.
(Other than the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
