Storm Helene death toll rises with homes flattened in Florida
Storm Helene death toll rises to at least 43 across southeast US
From BBC
Summary
- At least 43 people have been killed across the southeast US since Storm Helene made landfall in Florida last night – including first responders in South Carolina and Georgia who died trying to save others
- Streets are underwater in parts of Georgia, where the National Weather Service has issued flash flood warnings and warned more than a million people are at risk. At least 15 have died in the state
- In Florida, clean up operations are under way, with a Cedar Key resident telling the BBC his home “miraculously survived”while others “are missing or flattened” entirely
- One of the biggest storms to ever hit the Gulf Coast, Helene has barrelled across Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas after devastating Florida with fierce winds and flash flooding.
- Originally a category four hurricane, Helene was downgraded to a tropical storm on Friday and then a tropical depression
- Nearly 4 million Americans still without powerpublished at 23:40 British Summer Time23:40 BSTData from PowerOutage.us, which tracks and aggregates power outages across the country, indicates that more than 3.9 million American homes and businesses in the path of Helene are currently without power.That includes more than 1.1 million customers in South Carolina and about 900,000 in both Georgia and North Carolina. No deaths have been recorded in Ohio but more than 300,000 customers do not have electricity there.ShareMultiple injures reported after 2 tornados hit North Carolinapublished at 23:21 British Summer Time23:21 BSTAt least two confirmed tornados hit North Carolina in the past few hours, according to the National Weather Service’s office in Raleigh. The first struck just before noon near the small town of Garland. The next touched down around 13:30 local time in the city of Rocky Mount. It damaged 11 buildings in the area, and left 15 people injured. Four of those injured are in serious condition, according to the weather service. ShareDozens rescued from Tennessee hospitalpublished at 23:09 British Summer Time23:09 BSTAll hospital staff and patients have now been safely evacuated from the roof of the Unicoi County Hospital in Tennessee after images showed people stranded on top of the building amid rising floodwaters. As of 16:40 local time, “no one remains at the facility” the hospital said in a statement. “Affected patients have been transferred to Johnson City Medical Center, and their families have been updated,” the statement added, noting that the submerged hospital remains closed until further notice. Helicopters working alongside the Tennessee National Guard and the Virginia State Police led the rescue of 58 people, according to the hospital.ShareHelene now a post-tropical cyclonepublished at 22:48 British Summer Time22:48 BST
IMAGE SOURCE, EPAHelene continues to weaken as it moves over Kentucky and Tennessee. It is now being further downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone, according to a recent update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC). But while the winds have died down to around 35mph (55km/h), heavy rains continue. The risk of flash flooding remains, officials warn, as does the danger of electrocution from fallen power lines. The NHC’s update also reminds people to use generators safely, as millions remain in the dark. The generators must be kept outdoors and 20 feet away from buildings.ShareDeath toll rises to at least 38 from Helenepublished at 22:33 British Summer Time22:33 BSTHelene is responsible for at least 38 deaths across the southeast US, according to CBS, the BBC’s US news partner. That includes at least 15 people in the state of Georgia, according to a spokesperson for the governor’s office.Governor Brian Kemp earlier on Friday said a first responder was among the dead.Officials in South Carolina meanwhile told CBS the state has seen at least 13 storm-related deaths so far.The state’s governor, Henry McMaster, says the toll includes two firefighters killed in Saluda County.Additional deaths have been reported in North Carolina, Florida and Virginia. ShareNorth Carolina county warns of ‘imminent’ dam failurepublished at 22:10 British Summer Time22:10 BSTOfficials in Rutherford County, North Carolina, are warning that a dam poses an imminent threat to residents.”Residents below the Lake Lure dam need to evacuate to higher ground immediately!!” officials posted on the county Facebook page, external.”Dam failure imminent!! Evacuate to higher ground immediately!”The local branch of the National Weather Services warned that flash floods were possible and residents needed to get to higher ground. ShareRescuers race to save hospital staff and patients trapped on roofpublished at 21:48 British Summer Time21:48 BST
IMAGE SOURCE, VIRGINIA STATE POLICEImage caption, Boats and helicopters have so far been unable to reach the stranded staff and patientsOfficials are deploying teams to rescue more than 50 people trapped on the roof of the Unicoi County Hospital in Tennessee. Ballad Health, which runs the hospital, posts on social media that it was alerted this morning by county officials that the hospital staff, as well as 11 patients, must be evacuated due to the rapidly rising Nolichucky River. “Unicoi County leaders deployed ambulances, however, the flooding of the property happened so quickly the ambulances could not safely approach the hospital,” Ballad Health says.Emergency officials sent boats, but the water around the building “which had also begun intruding inside the hospital, became extremely dangerous and impassable and prevented the boats from safely being able to evacuate the hospital”.High winds also made aerial evacuations impossible, the hospital said. Virginia State Police posted on X/Twitter that the agency is currently deploying “aviation units” to rescue the 58 patients and staff that are trapped on the roof. ShareHelene downgraded to tropical depressionpublished at 21:28 British Summer Time21:28 BSTWe’re hearing that Helene has been downgraded to a tropical depression – but is still packing winds of 35mph (55kph) as it travels slowly over Kentucky and Tennessee.Its heavy rains continue to produce catastrophic flooding in the Appalachians, the National Hurricane Center says.Helene came ashore in Florida late on Thursday as a category four hurricane, with wind speeds of up to 140 mph (225 kph).It weakened early on Friday to a tropical storm as it moved over Georgia.ShareWatch: Georgia home destroyed by fallen treepublished at 21:26 British Summer Time21:26 BST00:35ShareHow Storm Helene unfolded… in less than 120 wordspublished at 20:46 British Summer Time20:46 BSTIMAGE SOURCE, REUTERSAfter making landfall near Perry, Florida yesterday, Helene moved north – bringing destruction to Georgia and the Carolinas along the way.The storm slammed into the Gulf Coast as a category four hurricane, making it one of the most powerful and widest to hit the US in history, but has since been downgraded to a tropical storm. People living in coastal areas of Florida were badly affected, with a Cedar Key resident telling the BBC he’d seen entire homes flattened or go missing. At least 20 people have died, including an emergency responder in Georgia, and millions are without power. We’re expecting an update from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis shortly, which we’ll bring you the key lines from.SharePower outages spread northpublished at 20:16 British Summer Time20:16 BSTStorm Helene has left more than four million customers in the US without power as it continues northward, the latest figures show.Data from PowerOutage.us, external shows that more outages are now being reported in multiple states across the Southeast. As the storm moves north, outage numbers are ticking up in Virginia and in the Appalachian Mountains, while the number of disruptions are decreasing in Florida as first responders continue clean-up efforts there.Here are the latest outage figures as of 15:00 EDT (20:00 BST)- Virginia – 231,000
- North Carolina – Over 1 million
- South Carolina – 1.2 million
- Georgia – 946,000
- Florida – 835,000
- Tennessee – 114,000
- Kentucky – 220,000
- West Virginia – 81,000
- Ohio – 82,000
Nadine Yousif
Live reporterIMAGE SOURCE, MICHAEL BOBBITMichael Bobbit, a clam farmer who lives on Cedar Key island on Florida’s Big Bend, tells me in a text message that his house – which sits atop a hill – “miraculously survived, but the island is totally devastated”In a video posted on social media afterwards, Bobbit highlights some of the losses: “Entire houses are missing or flattened in on themselves, the hardware store is gone, the downtown Jiffy (food market) completely destroyed, the post office completely destroyed.””It’s hard to take in,” the 48-year-old goes on. “However bad we imagined it would be, it’s so much worse in the daylight.”Bobbit adds that he believes it will take years for the small island of around 720 people to recover.- You can see some of the damage done to Cedar Key, and other areas of Florida, in our previous picture-led post.
IMAGE SOURCE, EPAImage caption, Clean up operations are beginning in Cedar KeyIMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGESImage caption, Flooded neighbourhoods in SteinhatcheeIMAGE SOURCE, REUTERSImage caption, Cars drive through flooded streets in Tarpon SpringsIMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGESImage caption, And debris floats through a flooded store in Cedar KeyShareFive more fatalities in Florida brings death toll to at least 20published at 18:41 British Summer Time18:41 BSTWe’re hearing from officials in Florida, where the Helene death toll is rising. Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri says at least five people have died in the area since last night.First responders worked throughout the night but were unable to answer several emergency calls due to the conditions, Reuters reports Gualtieri as saying.Earlier, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis reported two separate deaths in the state, but warned the figure could rise. - This latest update puts the total number of people killed in Storm Helene to at least 20 – we’re continuing to monitor the latest updates and will bring you them as they come in.
ShareMore deaths reported by Georgia governorpublished at 17:18 British Summer Time17:18 BSTBREAKINGBrian Kemp has just given a Storm Helene update – and, as part of that, reports more deaths.There are now 11 known fatalities in Georgia, Kemp says, including a first responder.He also says more than 150 roads have been closed across the state and that 1,300 traffic signals are out.Kemp describes Helene as “deadly”, says dozens of homes have been damaged and warns some people are still trapped in some buildings.- This latest update means at least 15 people in total are known to have died as a result of Storm Helene – which continues to push north.
00:38ShareStorm Helene’s death toll climbs to at least sixpublished at 16:34 British Summer Time16:34 BSTWe’ve just reported two deaths in North Carolina, confirmed by the state’s governor Roy Cooper. And across the US south, reports of fatalities in the wake of Hurricane Helene are growing.Florida Governor Ron DeSantis says two people have died in his state. Meanwhile in Georgia, where residents are facing life threatening flash floods, at least two people have died in Wheeler County.Four others have been reported dead by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and other local media outlets, which we’re looking to confirm.ShareTwo people dead in North Carolina, governor sayspublished at 16:11 British Summer Time16:11 BSTBREAKINGWe’ve just been listening to an update from North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, who says Helene continues to be a threat in the state despite rainfall having stopped in some areas.”Our hearts are heavy as we report two deaths,” he says, before giving further details.One occurred during a motor vehicle collision, he says, and another when a tree fell on a home in Charlotte.More than 100 swift-water rescues have taken place since Helene landed in the state, Cooper adds.- We’ll bring you an updated Storm Helene death toll – which officials have warned is likely to grow as rescue operations continue – shortly.
IMAGE SOURCE, REUTERSBack in Georgia, an Atlanta resident has been describing seeing a creek next to her home overflowing earlier – and the fear she had that her apartment would overflow. Standing in front of some of her neighbours’ vehicles, submerged in water, Alese McGhee tells Reuters news agency: “You know I just didn’t expect this to happen, like, living over here.””It wasn’t something that came across my mind. This is so crazy,” she goes on. “And I feel so bad for the people’s cars that are underwater. I’m like oh my gosh. Ugh. I don’t know what I would do.”
IMAGE SOURCE, VIRGINIA STATE POLICEImage caption, Boats and helicopters have so far been unable to reach the stranded staff and patientsOfficials are deploying teams to rescue more than 50 people trapped on the roof of the Unicoi County Hospital in Tennessee. Ballad Health, which runs the hospital, posts on social media that it was alerted this morning by county officials that the hospital staff, as well as 11 patients, must be evacuated due to the rapidly rising Nolichucky River. “Unicoi County leaders deployed ambulances, however, the flooding of the property happened so quickly the ambulances could not safely approach the hospital,” Ballad Health says.Emergency officials sent boats, but the water around the building “which had also begun intruding inside the hospital, became extremely dangerous and impassable and prevented the boats from safely being able to evacuate the hospital”.High winds also made aerial evacuations impossible, the hospital said. Virginia State Police posted on X/Twitter that the agency is currently deploying “aviation units” to rescue the 58 patients and staff that are trapped on the roof. ShareHelene downgraded to tropical depressionpublished at 21:28 British Summer Time21:28 BSTWe’re hearing that Helene has been downgraded to a tropical depression – but is still packing winds of 35mph (55kph) as it travels slowly over Kentucky and Tennessee.Its heavy rains continue to produce catastrophic flooding in the Appalachians, the National Hurricane Center says.Helene came ashore in Florida late on Thursday as a category four hurricane, with wind speeds of up to 140 mph (225 kph).It weakened early on Friday to a tropical storm as it moved over Georgia.ShareWatch: Georgia home destroyed by fallen treepublished at 21:26 British Summer Time21:26 BST
00:35ShareHow Storm Helene unfolded… in less than 120 wordspublished at 20:46 British Summer Time20:46 BST
IMAGE SOURCE, REUTERSAfter making landfall near Perry, Florida yesterday, Helene moved north – bringing destruction to Georgia and the Carolinas along the way.The storm slammed into the Gulf Coast as a category four hurricane, making it one of the most powerful and widest to hit the US in history, but has since been downgraded to a tropical storm. People living in coastal areas of Florida were badly affected, with a Cedar Key resident telling the BBC he’d seen entire homes flattened or go missing. At least 20 people have died, including an emergency responder in Georgia, and millions are without power. We’re expecting an update from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis shortly, which we’ll bring you the key lines from.SharePower outages spread northpublished at 20:16 British Summer Time20:16 BSTStorm Helene has left more than four million customers in the US without power as it continues northward, the latest figures show.Data from 
Nadine Yousif
IMAGE SOURCE, MICHAEL BOBBITMichael Bobbit, a clam farmer who lives on Cedar Key island on Florida’s Big Bend, tells me in a text message that his house – which sits atop a hill – “miraculously survived, but the island is totally devastated”In a video posted on social media afterwards, Bobbit highlights some of the losses: “Entire houses are missing or flattened in on themselves, the hardware store is gone, the downtown Jiffy (food market) completely destroyed, the post office completely destroyed.””It’s hard to take in,” the 48-year-old goes on. “However bad we imagined it would be, it’s so much worse in the daylight.”Bobbit adds that he believes it will take years for the small island of around 720 people to recover.
IMAGE SOURCE, EPAImage caption, Clean up operations are beginning in Cedar Key
IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGESImage caption, Flooded neighbourhoods in Steinhatchee
IMAGE SOURCE, REUTERSImage caption, Cars drive through flooded streets in Tarpon Springs
IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGESImage caption, And debris floats through a flooded store in Cedar KeyShareFive more fatalities in Florida brings death toll to at least 20published at 18:41 British Summer Time18:41 BSTWe’re hearing from officials in Florida, where the Helene death toll is rising. Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri says at least five people have died in the area since last night.First responders worked throughout the night but were unable to answer several emergency calls due to the conditions, Reuters reports Gualtieri as saying.Earlier, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis reported two separate deaths in the state, but warned the figure could rise. 
ShareMore deaths reported by Georgia governorpublished at 17:18 British Summer Time17:18 BSTBREAKINGBrian Kemp has just given a Storm Helene update – and, as part of that, reports more deaths.There are now 11 known fatalities in Georgia, Kemp says, including a first responder.He also says more than 150 roads have been closed across the state and that 1,300 traffic signals are out.Kemp describes Helene as “deadly”, says dozens of homes have been damaged and warns some people are still trapped in some buildings.
00:38ShareStorm Helene’s death toll climbs to at least sixpublished at 16:34 British Summer Time16:34 BSTWe’ve just reported two deaths in North Carolina, confirmed by the state’s governor Roy Cooper. And across the US south, reports of fatalities in the wake of Hurricane Helene are growing.Florida Governor Ron DeSantis says two people have died in his state. Meanwhile in Georgia, where residents are facing life threatening flash floods, at least two people have died in Wheeler County.Four others have been reported dead by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and other local media outlets, which we’re looking to confirm.ShareTwo people dead in North Carolina, governor sayspublished at 16:11 British Summer Time16:11 BSTBREAKINGWe’ve just been listening to an update from North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, who says Helene continues to be a threat in the state despite rainfall having stopped in some areas.”Our hearts are heavy as we report two deaths,” he says, before giving further details.One occurred during a motor vehicle collision, he says, and another when a tree fell on a home in Charlotte.More than 100 swift-water rescues have taken place since Helene landed in the state, Cooper adds.
IMAGE SOURCE, REUTERSBack in Georgia, an Atlanta resident has been describing seeing a creek next to her home overflowing earlier – and the fear she had that her apartment would overflow. Standing in front of some of her neighbours’ vehicles, submerged in water, Alese McGhee tells Reuters news agency: “You know I just didn’t expect this to happen, like, living over here.””It wasn’t something that came across my mind. This is so crazy,” she goes on. “And I feel so bad for the people’s cars that are underwater. I’m like oh my gosh. Ugh. I don’t know what I would do.”For more on this story go to: BBC
