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By Michael D. Carroll and Mandy Taheri
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LATEST: Helene has killed over four dozen people across the Southeastern United States, with the Associated Press (AP) reporting at least 52 deaths as of Saturday morning.
State officials have reported fatalities across the region, with deaths attributed to falling trees and signs, tornado incidents, car accidents, flooding, and other causes. The AP reported that among the killed are firefighters, women and children, and elders. There are likely to be more reported deaths in the following days once rescue crews are able to obtain more access.
The death toll highlights the widespread and deadly impact of Helene, which has been downgraded from a Category 4 Hurricane to a post-tropical cyclone, as it continues to batter the Southeast.
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As of Saturday morning, around 3.7 million Americans in the region did not have power, according to poweroutage.us. Several states reported widespread road closures, with North Carolina alone reporting 400 roads closed, mostly due to flooding and mudslides.
This morning, Buncombe County, North Carolina, which includes Asheville was entirely without cellular coverage. The city also announced that customers are "experiencing periods of low pressure and [water] outages," and put forward a "boil water advisory" to ensure potential bacteria is killed prior to consumption.
President Joe Biden expressed sadness over the loss of life and destruction caused by the storm in a statement Saturday, "The road to recovery will be long, but know that my Administration will be with you every step of the way. We're not going to walk away. We're not going to give up."
Where Is it Now?
Post-tropical cyclone Helene is currently in the Tennessee Valley after traveling north from Florida, hitting Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and impacting parts of Virginia, West Virginia, Illinois, Ohio, and Kentucky.
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The hurricane roared ashore in northwestern Florida's Big Bend late Thursday as a powerful Category 4 storm, unleashing catastrophic winds and torrential rain that left millions without power and prompted emergency declarations across multiple states.
The storm prompted hurricane and flash flood warnings extending far inland into northern Georgia and western North Carolina. Maps from weather forecaster Windy.com show its path and damage.
Governors of Florida, Georgia and North Carolina declared state of emergencies ahead of Helene's landfall.
On Friday, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper requested an expedited Major Disaster Declaration from the federal government, a move that starts the process for "providing critical financial assistance to people and communities hit hard by the storm."
As of Saturday morning, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reported it "has more than 800 deployed staff supporting states affected by the hurricane."
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Since Helene made landfall, the AP reports at least 52 people have been killed by the storm. As the storm moved inward and up the Southeast, power outages were reported across several states, with over 3.7 million still reported by Saturday morning.
Helene Rainfall Tracker
Helene's reach extended well beyond Florida, inundating the North Carolina mountains with reports by the state's Governor Roy Cooper of up to 20 inches of rain in parts of the state. Officials cautioned that the resulting floods could be the worst the region has seen in the past century.
Multiple sections of Interstate 40 running between Tennessee and North Carolina are closed due to mudslides and are washed out, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT).
"Shelter in place. All roads in Western N.C. should be considered closed," NCDOT wrote on its website. More than 400 roads are closed across the state, NCDOT reported.
The NHC issued its final advisory on the storm on Friday, writing that "Helene is producing historic and catastrophic flooding over portions of the Southeast and Southern Appalachians." The post-tropical cyclone is expected to stay over the Tennessee Valley today.
Firsthand accounts and videos published across social media and local news outlets show the widespread flooding and destruction caused by Helene. Photos from Erwin, Tennessee, near the North Carolina-Tennessee border, show dozens of patients and hospital staff stranded on the roof of Unicoi County Hospital, waiting for rescue boats to reach them. Everyone has since been rescued there.
On Friday night, the NHC issued a "life threatening flash flooding" emergency after a dam break on the Nolichucky River in Tennessee, calling it a "particularly dangerous situation." According to data from the U.S. Geological Survey, at 9 p.m. ET on Friday night the Nolichucky River was 17 feet above its recorded levels ahead of Helene.
Helene Wind Gusts Tracker
The National Hurricane Center in Miami reported that Hurricane Helene swept ashore near the mouth of the Aucilla River in Florida's Big Bend region. The storm packed maximum sustained winds of 140 mph, making it a powerful Category 4 system. It rapidly strengthened from a Category 1 hurricane in nearly 30 hours.
The location of Hurricane Helene's landfall is just 20 miles northwest of where Hurricane Idalia hit last year with nearly the same intensity, causing widespread damage across the region.
Helene Satellite Tracker
Weather satellites tracked Hurricane Helene's approach toward Florida's coast, capturing the storm's intensifying threat from space.
The hurricane's impact has reached beyond the ground, forcing NASA and SpaceX to delay the planned launch of a new crew to the International Space Station due to hazardous conditions. According to NASA's Rob Navias, the International Space Station will make a second, more direct pass over Hurricane Helene at 2:25 p.m. EDT (1825 GMT), providing about five minutes of close-up views of the storm. While the flyover won't be livestreamed, NASA plans to release the recorded footage via the NASA+ streaming service and its social media channels.
The storm is now far inland in the Tennessee Valley.
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What About Flights?
Airports in Florida that were shut down due to Hurricane Helene will reopen on Friday. The reopening includes major airports in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Lakeland, and Tallahassee, restoring critical travel hubs disrupted by the storm.
Orlando International Airport, Florida's busiest, has been particularly affected, with 77 flights canceled in the past 24 hours as of Friday morning. The cancellations highlight the continued impact of Helene's path through the state.
Meanwhile, airports in Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina, remain operational but are experiencing severe delays and cancellations. Charlotte, a key hub for American Airlines, has seen nearly 300 flight cancellations and close to 400 delays by 8 a.m. Friday.
The situation is not much better in Atlanta, one of the world's busiest airports, where more than 130 flights have been canceled and over 180 delayed. The disruptions have created a ripple effect across the southeastern U.S., as airlines struggle to manage schedules amid challenging weather conditions.
As airports in Florida gear up to resume operations, travelers are urged to check with their airlines for the latest updates.
Update 9/28/24, 5:58 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include additional information.
Update 9/28/24, 1:57 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include additional information and President Biden's statement.
Update 9/28/24, 12:25 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information about the storm.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
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