45 dead amid power outages, widespread flooding

At least 45 individuals have died and thousands and thousands have been left with out power as Hurricane Helene roared via the south-eastern US.

Officials continued daring rescues with boats, helicopters and enormous automobiles to assist these stranded in floodwaters – together with about 50 employees and sufferers who crowded on the roof of a flooded Tennessee hospital.

It was essentially the most highly effective storm on report to hit Florida’s Big Bend and moved north into Georgia and the Carolinas after making landfall in a single day on Thursday.

Insurers and monetary establishments say harm brought on by the storm may run into the billions of {dollars}.

Roads and homes had been submerged on Friday, with one household describing to BBC News how they needed to swim out of their residence to security.

Although Helene has weakened considerably, forecasters warn that prime winds, flooding and the specter of tornadoes may proceed.

Helene, which had been a class 4 storm, got here ashore on Thursday evening and remained a hurricane for six hours after it made landfall, in accordance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) stated a storm surge – heightened water ranges principally brought on by excessive winds blowing water in direction of shore – reached greater than 15ft (4.5m) above floor stage throughout elements of the Florida coast.

The NHC stated the surge ought to subside earlier than the weekend however the menace from excessive winds and flooding would persist, together with doable landslides.

Up to 20in (50cm) of rain continues to be doable in locations.

The hurricane is the 14th strongest to hit the US since information started. At roughly 420 miles (675 km) broad, it’s behind solely two different hurricanes – Ida in 2017 and Opal in 1996, each of which had been 460 miles broad.

Because of its sheer dimension, the influence of sturdy winds and heavy rain have been widespread throughout Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas.

At least eight individuals have died in Florida since Friday, together with no less than 5 individuals within the coastal Pinellas County – which incorporates the town of St Petersburg – the county’s sheriff, Bob Gualtieri stated.

He added that the close by shoreline had “never, ever looked like this before”, describing it as like a “war zone”.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stated one particular person died after a street signal fell on their automobile and one other when a tree fell on a house.

After hitting Florida, the storm continued on a lethal path north into Georgia – leaving no less than 15 dead – together with a primary responder, Governor Brian Kemp stated.

A suspected twister that spurred in Wheeler County, in central Georgia, left two individuals dead when the tornado picked up and overturned a cell residence, authorities stated.

Kemp ordered 1,000 National Guard troops to assist with rescue efforts throughout the state. The Georgia governor stated on Friday that persons are nonetheless trapped in buildings.

In South Carolina, no less than 17 individuals had been killed, in accordance with CBS News, the BBC’s US associate.

Neighbouring North Carolina noticed no less than two fatalities within the storm, one resulting from a automobile collision and one other when a tree fell on a house in Charlotte, Governor Roy Cooper stated.

The state additionally noticed two confirmed tornadoes, which broken 11 buildings and injured 15 individuals, the National Weather Service stated.

One particular person was additionally killed in Virginia, the state’s governor, Glenn Youngkin, stated at a information convention on Friday.

Across the south-east, greater than three million houses and companies had been with out power as of Saturday morning, in accordance with monitoring website poweroutage.us.

Ahead of the storm, 1,500 federal emergency personnel had been deployed to the area, together with 940 search and rescue specialists.

At the identical time, round 8,000 members of the US Coast Guard are aiding with rescue operations.

In North Carolina alone, greater than 100 rescues have taken place, Cooper stated.

In Tennessee, 58 sufferers and workers had been left stranded on the roof of a hospital within the metropolis of Erwin on Friday. Swift-moving water from the Nolichucky River prevented boats from with the ability to conduct rescue operations, and excessive winds prevented helicopter rescue.

The group was later taken to security after helicopters from the Tennessee National Guard and the Virginia State Police intervened.

In Pasco County, north of Tampa on Florida’s Gulf coast, 65 individuals had been rescued. Guests at a Ramada Inn in Manatee County had been additionally rescued as floodwaters rushed into the resort.

In Suwannee County to the north, authorities reported “extreme destruction”, with bushes falling onto houses.

Along the Gulf Coast of Florida, Briana Gagnier informed the BBC that she and her household noticed water creeping into their residence on Holmes Beach and began shifting their belongings onto tables and beds earlier than listening to a loud bang.

“My family and I all looked at one another,” she stated. “Then water just started pouring in.”

Ms Gagnier stated she grabbed her pets, her pockets and a few transportable chargers and swam out of their residence together with her household. The water was as much as their shoulders.

On Friday, President Joe Biden stated: “As we mourn the lives of those who were taken by this storm, I urge folks to heed the direction of local officials and take every precaution to keep themselves and their families safe.”

Officials have stated the consequences of the storm are “not over yet”, and urged residents to stay vigilant.

Hurricanes want sea floor temperatures of greater than 27C (80F) to gasoline them.

With exceptionally heat waters of the Gulf at 30-32C, the ocean floor is about two levels Celsius above regular for the time of yr.

Florida’s 220-mile Big Bend coast is the place Hurricane Idalia made landfall in 2023. The space was additionally battered by Hurricane Debby final month.

There might be as many as 25 named storms in 2024, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) warned earlier this yr.

Between eight and 13 of these storms may grow to be hurricanes and a handful have already got together with Helene.

More storms might be on the horizon, officers warned, because the official finish of hurricane season will not be till 30 November.