Hurricane Helene Devastates Southeast: Dozens Dead, Millions Powerless

 

Many people dead as Helene causes dangerous flooding and cuts power to millions in Southeast

Helene keeps causing destruction across the Southeast after killing 49 people in many states, destroying communities and trapping many in flood waters after the very strong storm hit Florida's Big Bend area Thursday night as a huge Category 4 hurricane with winds of 140 mph. Here's what's happening now:

Israel targeted Hezbollah’s Nasrallah in large bombing in Beirut, officials say

• Deaths in 5 states: Storm-related deaths have been reported in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and Virginia. At least 19 people died in South Carolina, including two firefighters in Saluda County, say state officials. In Georgia, at least 15 people died, with two killed by a tornado in Alamo, according to someone speaking for Gov. Brian Kemp. Florida officials said eight people died, including several who drowned in Pinellas County. Six more deaths happened in North Carolina, including a 4-year-old girl who died in a car crash on a slippery road. In Craig County, Virginia, one person died when a tree fell and a building collapsed during the storm, Gov. Glenn Youngkin said Friday.

• Rescue efforts happening now: Almost 4,000 National Guard members were helping with rescues in 21 Florida counties, the Defense Department said Friday. North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama also sent their guard members to help. The Biden administration has also sent more than 1,500 federal workers to help communities affected by Helene, Vice President Kamala Harris said Friday.

• Bad flooding in North Carolina: Helene "is one of the worst storms in modern history for parts of North Carolina," Gov. Roy Cooper said. Western parts of the state got hit hard by heavy rains and strong winds almost as strong as a hurricane, very dangerous flash flooding, many landslides and power outages. Over 100 people were saved from high waters, the governor said. More than 2 feet of rain fell in the state's mountain area from Wednesday morning to Friday morning, with Busick getting 29.58 inches in just 48 hours. In the badly hit city of Asheville, people must stay inside until 7:30 a.m. Saturday, officials said. About 20 miles southwest of Asheville, too much rain was pushing the Lake Lure Dam close to breaking, according to the National Weather Service.

• The danger isn't over: What's left of Helene will keep bringing rain and strong winds over hundreds of miles of the East. Many states have gotten more than a foot of rain, with at least 14 different very serious flood warnings issued for about 1.1 million people in the Southern Appalachians of Western North Carolina and nearby parts of Tennessee, South Carolina and Virginia. Along with the rain, winds kept blowing at 30 to 50 mph over the Ohio and Tennessee Valley areas Friday evening and more than 35 million people were warned about strong winds going into Saturday.

• More than 3 million without power: What's left of Helene kept causing power outages for several states across the eastern US on Saturday morning, with nearly 3.3 million customers without power in South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Florida and Ohio, according to PowerOutage.us.

• Helene messes up travel and deliveries: Helene has caused many problems for travel and delivery services. Several Amtrak trains going to or from Florida and Georgia have been canceled, the company said. Delivery services were also affected, with UPS saying it stopped service to Florida, North Carolina and Georgia because of the storm. FedEx also stopped or limited its service in five states. Water covered many roads across the area, making them impossible to use. In North Carolina, 290 roads were closed all over the state, and Gov. Roy Cooper said the state's transportation department is closing even more roads as severe flooding, landslides and washed-out roads are very dangerous for drivers.

• Many people rescued from hospital roof in Tennessee: More than 50 people stuck on the roof of Unicoi County Hospital in Erwin, Tennessee, were saved after quickly rising waters from Helene made it impossible to leave the normal way Friday morning, Ballad Health said.

• Helene is now a different kind of storm: Helene – the strongest hurricane ever to hit Florida's Big Bend area – is now a post-tropical cyclone with winds of 35 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. This means Helene doesn't have an organized center anymore and is losing its hurricane-like features. But this change doesn't make Helene much less dangerous, as it will keep bringing heavy, flooding rain and strong winds. Keith Turi from FEMA warned people about the dangers that remain from Helene even after it passes. "There are a lot of dangers in those floodwaters, things you can see and sometimes things you can't see that are going under the surface, so you really need to stay out of those floodwaters," Turi told CNN.

Florida and Georgia communities badly damaged

Helene caused a huge path of destruction across Florida, Georgia and the Southeastern US, breaking trees and power lines, and damaging hundreds of homes. As millions were left without important things like electricity and some with no homes to return to after the damaging storm, rescue teams went out to save people trapped in wreckage or underwater.

In Cedar Key, Florida, the damage is so widespread that it's not safe enough to let residents or volunteers back into the small community off the Florida coast, city officials said Friday. The town doesn't have any sewage water or power, "so there's really not a whole lot to be able to sustain people being here," Cedar Key Mayor Sue Colson said.

Many historical buildings and new homes have been destroyed, while roads were blocked by fallen wires and "extremely dangerous" debris, the mayor said. "It's just a multifaceted mess," Colson said.

Another small, close-knit Florida community, Keaton Beach, is trying to recover from the damage caused by Helene.

"You look at Keaton Beach … almost every home was destroyed, or the vast majority, and some totally obliterated. It's because they had such a massive surge that went in there," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday, adding that the storm surge might have been as high as 20 feet.

The town's Beach Bums gas station was three days away from celebrating its five-year anniversary when it collapsed, said owner Jared Hunt, who spent the morning helping residents look for personal belongings, saving what's left.

One Keaton Beach resident stood with his wife in front of the ruins of what used to be their home, wondering where they might go next.

"Man, I just lost my house. I have nowhere else to go," Eric Church told CNN. "My house is laying here in a pile. It was sitting right there. There are just pillars left in the ground. I got a wife and two dogs with me. What am I supposed to do?"

Church's wife, Erin Peelar, said the couple had just bought the home and expected some water from the hurricane, not for the house "to disappear."

"The house has been here for 75 years and that's the whole reason we bought it six months ago, having faith it would be here for another 75," Peelar said.

In the waters near Sanibel Island, Florida, Coast Guard swimmer Ted Hudson saved a man and his dog from their floating home during the big storm. The waves were very dangerous and could have hurt them.

A video from Hudson's head camera shows him being lowered from a helicopter fighting strong winds of 60 mph. He then swims through scary waves to reach the stuck man and his dog. They get in the water and swim to Hudson, who helps them as they are pulled up into the helicopter.

"I think my body got excited, and I just kept going," Hudson told CNN. "It was a scary situation, and I was trying to get out of there really fast."

DeSantis said he thinks Hurricane Helene did more damage than Hurricane Idalia in 2023, which was the strongest storm to hit Florida's Big Bend area in more than 125 years.

Hurricane Helene hit near Perry, Florida, on Thursday night as a very strong Category 4 storm with winds of 140 mph and even stronger gusts, said the National Hurricane Center. Hurricane Idalia in August 2023 was a bit weaker, hitting as a Category 3 storm with winds of 125 mph.

In Georgia, many people were stuck after at least 115 buildings in the southern city of Valdosta in Lowndes County were badly damaged by Helene, Gov. Brian Kemp said Friday.

"The damage to our area is very big and looks much worse than Hurricane Idalia," the Lowndes County Emergency Management said on Facebook.

'Everything was crazy' in North Carolina floods

People in Asheville, North Carolina, said their city was "completely crazy" after Helene brought lots of flood water and pushed big stuff into streets overnight.

Samuel Hayes said he woke up to many calls from his workers telling him about fallen trees on their roofs, water coming into their homes, and mud sliding down hills.

"Everything was crazy around the city," Hayes told CNN's Isabel Rosales. "It's going to take us a long time to clean this up."

Hayes and another Asheville local, Maxwell Kline, said the River Arts District area was full of dirty flood water with oil in it.

"A lot of businesses are totally wrecked ... I've never seen anything like that since I've lived here. It's really sad," Kline said.

Gas stations were closed and they lost power, internet, and phone service for hours, they said. "Can't get anything right now – no food you can buy, no gas, nothing," Kline said.

About 25 miles outside of Asheville, someone who has lived in Hendersonville all her life said she was very scared by Helene. "I never knew anything like this could happen here," Avery Dull, 20, told CNN.

Dull and her neighbors were "really not ready" for all the water, and she saw at least one person breaking out of their window, she said. But her apartment is okay because it's on the second floor, Dull said.

"Luckily we were on high ground, but those people lost everything," Dull said. "Half of my neighborhood is underwater and lots of families are stuck inside their homes. Cars have been completely covered and ruined, and power is out across the county."

In another part of North Carolina, broken glass, rocks, and mud covered one couple's car after a landslide caused by Helene came down onto Interstate 40 as they were driving through Black Mountain.

Kelly Keffer said her husband saw something coming from the side of his eye and then they started to hear banging on top of the car, so he drove faster. Then, the whole side of the mountain started sliding, Alan Keffer said. Alan thought they would be able to drive past it, but it slid faster than he thought.

In less than a minute, "the rocks, the dirt, everything hit us. It was scary," he said. The back window was completely broken, Kelly said.

In Erwin, Tennessee – just over 40 miles north of Asheville, North Carolina – flooding covered houses, buildings, and roads.

Erwin resident Nathan Farnor said he left the area on Friday afternoon, when his home was just above water level, then he went to a higher place a few miles away.

"The power is still out, and it looks like most businesses, homes, and campgrounds near the river have been totally ruined," Farnor said, "Sadly, the situation doesn't seem to be getting better."

CNN's Emma Tucker, Elise Hammond, Ashley R. Williams, Taylor Ward, Taylor Romine, Mary Gilbert, Brandon Miller, Alaa Elassar, Nicole Chavez, Josh Replogle, Isabel Rosales, Taylor Galgano, Caroll Alvarado, Sara Smart and Andy Rose helped with this report.