Hurricane Helene: At Least 22 Dead, 4 Million Without Power as Storm Continues to Lash the Southeast With Torrential Rains and Heavy Flooding
Hurricane Helene roared ashore with all she had as a Category 4 storm shortly after 11:10 p.m. EDT near the mouth of the Aucilla River along Florida’s Gulf Coast.
The hurricane made landfall just 20 miles (32 km) northwest of where Hurricane Idalia came ashore in 2023 with roughly the same strength, maximum sustained winds estimated at 140 mph ( 225 km/h), the National Hurricane Center said in a statement.
At least 22 deaths as a result of the storm across the Southeast have been reported and over 4 million people are without power across five states.
The massive tropical cyclone continued into Georgia, arriving as a Category 1 storm, although it was later downgraded to a tropical storm, lashing Georgia and dumping torrential rains that flooded communities across the Southeast. Rivers were overflowing banks around Asheville, North Carolina, and heavy rain was expected to continue in the region throughout the day.
Some 4.2 million people in 5 states, namely Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia, were without power at noon on Friday according to poweroutage.us, which tracks such information.
The massive system, downgraded to a tropical storm early Friday morning, was lashing Georgia and dumping torrential rains flooding communities across the Southeast. Rivers were over-topping banks around Asheville, North Carolina, and the rain was expected to keep falling throughout the day.
Officials said it could take days if not to fully assess damage from Helene. News and social media reports made clear the number of inundated streets and flooded homes and condos along much of the Gulf Coast, ranging from Fort Myers Beach to Sarasota and points further north.
At least one house in Tampa burnt down after severe flooding caused an electrical short which then set the house aflame, the owner of the home, Lisa Cohen, told The Travelist and Frequent Business Traveler. The house was completely destroyed and it was not possible to salvage any contents.
“The early reports we’ve received is the damage in those counties in the eye of the storm has exceeded the damage of Idalia and Debby combined,” Governor Ron DeSantis said at a Friday morning press conference. “This is some major damage.”
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
