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At least 52 people have died as a result of Hurricane Helene, which caused billions of dollars in damage as it tore through the southeastern US.
In an update on Monday in Helene, the National Hurricane Center said that “catastrophic and historic flooding” will continue through parts of the Southern Appalachians, although the risk for additional heavy rain continues to decrease.
The storm, currently classified as a post-tropical cyclone, is expected to hover over the Tennessee Valley on Saturday and Sunday, the NHC added. Millions have been left without power after downed power lines and cell towers.
Among those killed in the storm were three firefighters, a woman and her 1-month-old twins, and an 89-year-old woman whose home was hit by a falling tree, according to an Associated Press tally.
Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 storm late Thursday with winds of 140 mph and then quickly moved into Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee, uprooting trees, tearing apart homes and sending rivers and streams over their banks and dams. .
Preliminary estimates put the total damage and economic loss from Helene between $95 billion and $110 billion, according to AccuWeather.
House fire during Hurricane Helene
Mike BediganSeptember 28, 2024 11:10 p.m
Death in 5 countries after Helene
More than 50 storm-related deaths have been reported in the states of South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and Virginia.
– At least 19 dead in South Carolina, including two firefighters in Saluda County, according to state officials.
– In Georgia, at least 17 people have died, two of whom were killed by the tornado in Alamo, according to Governor Brian Kemp’s spokesman.
– Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday morning raised the number of confirmed dead on Friday to 11, including several people who drowned in Pinellas County.
– Six more deaths were reported in North Carolina including from a car accident on a storm-slick road that killed a 4-year-old girl.
– In Craig County, Virginia, one person was killed in a storm-related downed tree and building collapse, according to Governor Glenn Youngkin.
Mike BediganSeptember 28, 2024 10:50 p.m
North Carolina village becomes ‘road to nowhere’ due to flooding
Mike BediganSeptember 28, 2024 10:30 p.m
Pictures show North Carolina rescues as Helene ravages the state
Images show North Carolina rescue efforts as Helene ravages the state.
Mike BediganSeptember 28, 2024 10:10 p.m
Tennessee dam break is no longer near
The Nolichucky Dam near Greenville, Tennessee, is not in danger of collapsing, authorities said.
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Morristown, Tennessee, extended a flash flood warning for cities and towns below a dam on the Nolichucky River until 4 p.m. ET Friday, as dam operators have reported “excessive water flow” at the dam .
The dam has experienced an imminent breach but no more, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency announced at an afternoon news conference.
The agency is working with the Tennessee Valley Authority “to confirm that Nolichucky is no longer in the state and there are no dam failures being reported at this time,” TEMA Chief of Staff Alex Pellom said.
Mike BediganSeptember 28, 2024 9:50 p.m
Students struggle to leave campus at UNC Asheville
Mike BediganSeptember 28, 2024 9:30 p.m
Georgia ‘every resource available’ to victims in Helene after
Mike BediganSeptember 28, 2024 9:10 p.m
Watch: Family rescued from Helene floods
Mike Bedigan28 September 2024 20:50
Insurers could pay $5B to cover losses from Helene
Insurance data provider AM Best has estimated that insurers will pay $5 billion or more to cover losses from Hurricane Helene.
AM Best said insurers paid $2.5 billion to $4 billion in losses for Hurricane Idalia last year, and expect losses from Helene to be more severe.
Mike BediganSeptember 28, 2024 8:30 p.m
Biden calls damage caused by Helene ‘enormous’
In a post on X, president Joe Biden called the damage caused by Hurricane Helene “tremendous.”
“Jill and I continue to pray for everyone who has lost a loved one and for everyone affected by this storm.” Biden wrote.
“Earlier this morning, I approved Tennessee’s emergency declaration and my Administration continues to increase response personnel as the storm tracks north. Our focus is on rescue and life-saving response efforts in the Southeast – and I continue to be informed by my team coordinating recovery efforts with state and local officials .
“My administration has been with the people of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee since before Helene made landfall. And we will be on the ground with them helping them recover long after this storm passes.
Mike BediganSeptember 28, 2024 8:10 p.m
