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Hurricane Helene/ At least 64 dead, millions without power in the US
2024-09-29 22:13:24 / BOTA
Massive rains from powerful Hurricane Helene have left people stranded, homeless and waiting for rescue as cleanups begin from a storm that killed at least 64 people and caused widespread destruction across the southeastern United States United States and left millions of people without electricity.
Helene made landfall in the United States in Florida as a Category 4 storm late Thursday with winds of 145 miles per hour. From there, the storm moved quickly through Georgia, where Gov. Brian Kemp said Saturday it looked "like a bomb went off" after an aerial inspection saw destroyed homes and debris-strewn highways.
After losing hurricane strength, Helene dumped torrential rains on North and South Carolina as well as Tennessee, flooding banks and straining dams.
Hundreds trapped by the floods have been rescued. The most dramatic case was that of a hospital in a rural part of Tennessee, where dozens of patients and medical staff were rescued by helicopter from the roof of the hospital on Friday.
The storm, which has now weakened to a post-tropical cyclone, was expected to cross the Tennessee Valley on Saturday and Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said. It caused the worst flooding in a century in North Carolina. Heavy rains also fell in Atlanta for 48 hours in a row.
President Joe Biden said Saturday that the devastation from Helena had been "overwhelming" and pledged to send aid. He also approved a natural disaster declaration for North Carolina, making federal funds available to affected individuals.
Helene killed at least 25 people in South Carolina, making it the state's deadliest tropical cyclone since Hurricane Hugo killed 35 in 1989.
Casualties were also reported in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia.
AccuWeather's preliminary estimate of total damage and economic losses from Helena in the US is between $95 billion and $110 billion.
Climate change has created the conditions for such storms to rapidly intensify in warming waters and become powerful cyclones, sometimes within hours.
Helene was the eighth storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began on June 1. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-average season of activity this year due to record warm ocean temperatures.
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