
The powerful storm, which is expected to hit the Ohio Valley and central Appalachia on Sunday, has caused flooding and widespread damage.
The human toll from Hurricane Helene continues to rise in the United States, two days after it hit Florida. Authorities announced on Saturday, September 28, that it had claimed 63 victims, compared to 53 in the previous toll. At least 24 people died in South Carolina, 17 in Georgia, 11 in Florida, ten in North Carolina and one in Virginia, according to a toll compiled from statements by local authorities.
Hurricane Helene, which has been battering the eastern and southeastern United States, made landfall in northwest Florida on Thursday night as a Category 4 hurricane on a scale of 5, packing winds of 140 mph (225 km/h). The hurricane then progressed northward, weakening, leaving a landscape of devastation in its wake.
More than 2.5 million people still without power
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee have declared federal states of emergency. More than 800 Federal Disaster Management Agency personnel have been deployed as relief efforts continue to restore power and deal with the aftermath of massive flooding that has destroyed homes, roads and businesses.
Hurricane Helene wreaks havoc in southeast of country
According to tracking site poweroutage.us(New window), more than 2.6 million people were still without power Sunday morning in 10 states from Florida to southeastern Indiana.
Now downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone, Helene is expected to hit the Ohio Valley and central Appalachia on Sunday, the National Hurricane Center wrote, which also warned that power outages could be "long-lasting."
Helene continues to rage in the southern United States. The damage is considerable and the human toll is rising, with more than 40 people having died.
In Keaton Beach (Florida), Saturday, September 28, there is almost nothing left. The town was swept by winds of more than 220 km/h(New window)(New window). In Cedar Key, this is the third time in a year that a resident's business has been hit by a hurricane. "I don't know how we're going to recover," she laments.
Submerged neighborhoods
More than a hundred kilometers away, the hurricane caused torrential rains and flooding. About fifty people took shelter on the roof of a hospital in Tennessee before being rescued. In North Carolina, entire houses were swept away by the flood. In a downtown area, businesses and homes are nearly submerged. "It's rare to see hurricane winds and rains come this far inland," one man said. North Carolina has just experienced one of the worst storms in its history. The hurricane has killed at least 44 people in five southeastern states.
Most residents had chosen to evacuate. "This is the second hurricane in a year," said a woman. Some neighborhoods are only accessible on foot. In the marina, the walls of a building were blown away. Further north, the city of St. Marks (Florida, United States) withstood the gusts, but not the submersion. Cars were trapped by the waters and houses flooded. In this area, Hélène is the fifth hurricane in just six years.