At least six people are dead and more than 4 million are without power in the wake of Tropical Storm Helene, which made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane Thursday night.
In Florida, one person traveling on I-40 in Tampa was killed when a sign struck their vehicle, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a late-night press conference.
Reports in Georgia said two people died in Wheeler County when a suspected tornado overturned a mobile home, according to local station 13WMAZ. Another two reportedly died in Laurens County, Georgia, one when a tree fell on a house and another in a car crash, according to EMA Director Bill Laird.
In Charolette, North Carolina, one person was killed and another is facing life-threatening injuries after a tree fell on a house, according to a post shared by Mecklenburg Emergency Medical Services Agency.
Helene brought catastrophic winds, heavy rain and flooding as a hurricane overnight. Responders in multiple Southeast states were tasked with risky rescues amid the conditions.
In Pasco, Florida, the local sheriff’s office said it performed approximately 200 rescues overnight, which have slowed as water levels were receding Friday morning.
The Pasco Sheriff’s Office is honored to serve and protect our community. We are grateful that water is receding along the US19 corridor and, with that, rescue calls for service have slowed. Approximately 200 people were rescued from rising water in Pasco County overnight in a… pic.twitter.com/gwWSOiSLu8
— Pasco Sheriff (@PascoSheriff) September 27, 2024
In Atlanta, more than 25 people were rescued from floodwaters, according to reports. The city is under a flash flood warning Friday morning, the National Weather Service said.
Blackouts
Millions in the Southeast are dealing with power outages
In Florida, nearly 1.2 million customers are without power as of Friday morning, according to PowerOutage.us.
Another 1.2 million are without power in South Carolina, more than 1 million are without power in Georgia, and nearly 500,000 customers in North Carolina don’t have power, PowerOutage.us said.
As the storm moves further inland, it is expected to stall out over the Tennessee Valley. But as it slows, it could deliver enough heavy rains to flood numerous regions. Much of the Carolinas, Virginia and Tennessee were under flood advisories on Friday.
High wind warnings were issued in parts of Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana.
By the end of Friday, Helene should no longer be a tropical storm, but it could still continue to produce rain over the Ohio Valley over the weekend. The rain could actually be helpful there as much of the region has been under a severe drought.
RELATED STORY | Helene downgraded to tropical storm after making landfall as Category 4 hurricane
