Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc across the southeastern United States on Friday, resulting in at least 43 fatalities and leaving millions without electricity. Emergency responders conducted daring rescues using boats, helicopters, and other vehicles to assist those stranded in floodwaters, including about 50 patients and staff who sought refuge on the roof of a flooded hospital in Tennessee.
This storm made history as the most powerful to hit Florida’s Big Bend region, making landfall overnight on Thursday before moving northward into Georgia and the Carolinas. Insurers anticipate that the damages could reach billions of dollars. Roads and homes were submerged, prompting harrowing accounts of families needing to swim to safety.
While Hurricane Helene has weakened, forecasters warn that high winds, flooding, and the possibility of tornadoes could persist. Initially a Category 4 storm, Helene remained a hurricane for six hours after landfall, as reported by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The National Hurricane Center noted storm surges exceeding 15 feet in parts of Florida, though these levels are expected to recede over the weekend.
Helene is now recognized as the 14th most powerful hurricane to strike the US since records began. Its massive size, approximately 420 miles wide, has resulted in widespread destruction across Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas.
In Florida, at least eight deaths have been confirmed, including incidents involving a fallen road sign and a tree. As Helene moved into Georgia, it left at least 15 dead, including a first responder, while South Carolina recorded at least 17 fatalities. One death was also reported in Virginia.
As of late Friday, more than three million homes and businesses were without power across the southeast. Rescuers have conducted over 100 rescues in North Carolina alone. Authorities continue to warn residents to remain vigilant, as the effects of the storm are far from over.