Helene's death toll rises above 40
More than 40 people have been killed in Hurricane Helene’s deadly rampage through south-eastern US, according to a tally by the Guardian and the Associated Press on Friday afternoon.
At least 15 were killed in Georgia, Garrison Douglas, a spokesperson for the governor, Brian Kemp, announced.
Among the deaths so far recorded in the state were a first responder; and a seven-year-old boy and four-year-old girl when a tree fell on their home in Washington county and trapped them in their burning home, WRDW TV reported.
Officials in South Carolina reported at least 17 storm-related deaths, including two firefighters killed when their vehicle was struck by a tree before sunrise on Friday.
Numerous other fatalities involved trees falling on residences. A four-year-old girl died in Claremont, North Carolina, in a traffic accident in heavy rain.
Five were killed in Pinellas county, Florida, with at least two by drowning, the local sheriff, Bob Gualtieri, said. Other reported fatalities in that state included a 70-year-old woman found in a flooded house in Tampa, a person killed in a traffic accident late on Thursday, and one dead when a tree fell on their house in Dixie county.
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The National Weather Service in South Carolina said that many locations have experienced “devastating impacts” after the passing of Helene.
“Historic flooding will continue with numerous rivers continuing to rise as runoff gradually filters down river,” reads a Facebook post from NWS.
Residents in Greenville-Spartanburg remained without power and many roads remained blocked by downed trees and power lines or were washed out from flooding on Friday.
“It’s just devastating along the coast,” Marty Bahamonde, director of disaster operations at Fema, told ABC News.
“We’re still in that life-saving mode,” Bahamonde said.
Helene is now passing over Kentucky with heavy rain and gusty winds across areas from Missouri to Ohio to the Carolinas.
The death toll in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene has risen to 43 people. Across the South, the numbers are as follows:
Florida: 9
Georgia: 15
North Carolina: 2
South Carolina: 17
"We're still in that life-saving mode," FEMA spokesperson tells @KyraPhillips and @TerryMoran. pic.twitter.com/9QMDFDthJc
Some more photos of the incredible damage left by Helene, this time from the town of Steinhatchee in Florida’s Big Bend, where the storm made landfall.
Summary
Here’s the latest on Helene:
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More than 40 people have been killed in Hurricane Helene’s deadly rampage through the southeastern US, according to a tally by the Guardian and the Associated Press on Friday afternoon.
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Every person stranded on the roof of a hospital in Erwin,Tennessee, has been rescued, according to Bill Hagerty, a Tennessee senator.
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A curfew in Asheville, North Carolina, has been announced as most of the city remains without power.
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A warning for two tornadoes was issued for Sampson county and Nash county in North Carolina.
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Mudslides and floodwaters from Helene are causing chaos on the roads in several states. The storm washed out a section of Interstate-40 at the North Carolina-Tennessee state line, officials said.
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Helene downgraded to a tropical depression. The National Hurricane Center’s 2pm ET advisory has further downgraded Helene to a tropical depression. But it warns the storm is still producing “historic and catastrophic flooding” across multiple states.
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North Carolina’s governor, Roy Cooper, said Helene was “one of the worst storms in modern history”, and warned the end of the rain was not the end of the threat to his state because of flooding and high wind concerns. At least two people were killed.
Atlanta saw highest rainfall on record over past 48 hours
Atlanta received the highest 48-hour rainfall on record over the past 2 days, according to the state’s climate office.
“11.12 inches of rain soaked the area, beating out the previous record of 9.59 inches in 48 hours in 1886. Record keeping stretches back to 1878,” the office wrote on X.
A weather reporter near Atlanta interrupted his live Hurricane Helene report to rescue a woman from a vehicle stranded by floodwaters.
Standing in the rain with the submerged vehicle behind him, Fox reporter Bob van Dillen described how the woman drove into a flooded area.
In the footage, he said he called 911 and she could be heard screaming as he tried to assure her that help was on the way.
Then, he told the camera: “It’s a situation. We’ll get back to you in a little bit. I’m going to see if I can help this lady out a little bit more, you guys.”
Watch the video here:
Virginia governor warns 'storm is not over' as hundreds of thousands without power
The governor of Virginia, Glenn Youngkin, delivered remarks to residents via social media.
“This storm is not over,” he said.
Youngkin said that about 241,000 customers were without power on Friday.
“I expect that number to increase before it decreases,” he said.
Virginians, we are still experiencing the remnants of Hurricane Helene. Please stay informed, stay alert, and together, we will get through this.
Stay up-to-date with the latest information from @VDEM, @VDOT, and @VSPPIO! pic.twitter.com/WMrPHlrZ2v
Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, said earlier today that the state has restored 1.1m accounts that had remained without power.
The US army corps of engineers was stationed in the state, along with the Florida division of emergency management.
A curfew in Asheville, North Carolina, has been announced as most of the city remains without power.
The curfew will last from 7.30pm to 7.30am beginning Friday, 27 September, until 7.30am on Saturday, 29 September, according to the Asheville police chief, Mike Lamb.
“The curfew is to ensure the public’s safety and will be in effect until further notice,” city officials said in a Facebook post.
Tennessee warning of imminent dam failure 'false alarm'
The city of Newport, Tennessee, said the dam failure warning given earlier “was a false alarm”.
In a post on Facebook, officials assured there had not been a catastrophic failure at the Waterville Dam near the Tennessee border. The false alarm came from the emergency management agency, according to the post.
“We encourage everyone to stay safe and shelter in place,” reads the statement.
More than 200,000 utility customers in Ohio did not have power on Friday after the hurricane passed over the state, according to PowerOutage.US.
South Carolina remained the state with the most customers out of power, with more than 1.2 million left in the dark.
The utility tracker also estimates that about 930,000 customers in Georgia and 870,553 customers in North Carolina remained without power on Friday.
About 720,700 customers were in the dark in Florida.
A warning for two tornadoes was issued for Sampson county and Nash county, in North Carolina.
Raleigh’s National Weather Service said trees and power lines were down near Garland, North Carolina, while 15 people were injured in the city of Rocky Mount.
Two tornadoes confirmed today, details to come.
Sampson Co, 2 near Garland
1125 am, Trees and power lines down on Helltown Rd. near the Bladen County line.
Nash Co., Rocky Mount
0131 pm, 11 building damaged in the Wesleyan Blvd and Tiffany Blvd area with 15 injuries/4 serious.
Every person stranded on Tennessee hospital roof rescued, senator says.
Every person stranded on the roof of a hospital in Erwin, Tennessee, has been rescued, according to Bill Hagerty, a Tennessee senator.
Everyone has been rescued safely from the roof of Unicoi County Hospital in Erwin. More trouble on the horizon for East Tennessee communities. Please stay safe and thank you for your prayers! https://t.co/IiN6Au5IMe
— Senator Bill Hagerty (@SenatorHagerty) September 27, 2024“More trouble on the horizon for East Tennessee communities,” Hagerty wrote in a post on X.
Michael Baker, alderman of Erwin, Tennessee, called the atmospheric event a “a once in a lifetime storm” during an interview with KHOU.
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