Hurricane Helene wreaks havoc in US Southeast, death toll rises By Reuters
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(Reuters) – Southeastern US states began a major cleanup and recovery effort on Sunday after Hurricane Helene's winds, rain and storm surge knocked out power, destroyed roads and bridges and caused flooding from Florida to Virginia.
The storm caused at least 60 deaths, according to state and local officials in South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. Officials fear that more bodies will be found in many states.
Damage estimates range from $15 billion to more than $100 billion, insurers and forecasters said over the weekend. Property damage and economic losses will become clearer as officials assess the damage.
Days of rain followed Helene's landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast Thursday night. More than 3 million customers faced power outages over the weekend after unprecedented storms, high winds and dangerous conditions stretched hundreds of miles inland.
Some of the heaviest rain fell in western North Carolina, which saw nearly 76 inches at Mount Mitchell in Yancey County, the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center reported.
Government transport officials say more than 400 roads are still closed in the state, where the governor reported that two people died on Saturday.
Water (NYSE:) washed over the Lake Lure Dam in Rutherford County and residents of Chimney Rock and surrounding areas described the downtown area as washed away. Pictures show inches of mud and soil, downed trees and uprooted telephone poles and buildings reduced to rubble.
In southeast Tennessee, Greene County officials are concerned that the Nolichucky Dam is on the verge of failure, but the Tennessee Valley Authority reported late Saturday that the dam was stable and safe.
“The damage we saw when Hurricane Helene hit was enormous,” said President Joe Biden on Saturday. “Jill and I continue to pray for all those who have lost loved ones and all those affected by this storm.”
South Carolina recorded the highest death toll, with local authorities counting 24 deaths away from Helene, with falling trees impacting many of them.
Seventeen people, including children, died in Georgia as a result of Helene, Governor Brian Kemp said after surveying the damage in Valdosta.
11 people have died in Florida, said Governor Ron DeSantis on Saturday, speaking in Perry on Florida's Gulf Coast, where storm surges of 15 meters, the largest storms seen in recent years.
Off the coast of Steinhatchee, a storm surge — a wall of sea water pushed ashore by winds — of eight to 10 feet (2.4-3 meters) swept away mobile homes, weather officials said.
The small nearby community of Spring Warrior Fish Camp was assessing the damage Saturday and waiting for any emergency or first aid.
“No one thinks about us back here,” said David Hall, as he and his wife dug through seaweed and dead fish in the office of the hotel they owned. Most of the houses there were built on logs because of the local law and survived the great damage.
