Helene, downgraded from a strong Category 4 storm, made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region Thursday evening and is still wreaking havoc inland, as the National Hurricane Center (NHC) is warning of “catastrophic and life-threatening” flash flooding inland.
The NHC has since downgraded Helene to a tropical storm, but conditions continue to deteriorate across Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and even Virginia.
The NHC warns of “damaging wind gusts” over portions of Georgia and the Carolinas — “particularly over the higher terrain of the southern Appalachians.”
“Catastrophic and life-threading flash and urban flooding, including numerous significant landslides, is expected across portions of the southern Appalachians through Friday,” NHC cautions, warning of “widespread significant river flooding” as well, which it predicts could be “record breaking.”
Various images and videos across social media show some of the devastation caused by Helene thus far.
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As a result of the storm, over 3 million are without power across southeastern portions of the U.S., over one million in each of three states — Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina — at the time of this writing.
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@HCSOSheriff via Storyful
While Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that over one million are still without power in the Sunshine State, another one million have already had their power restored.
“In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Helene hundreds of search and rescue missions were conducted by state personnel, and the state assisted on nearly a thousand others,” he announced Friday morning.
“There are over a million accounts without power in the state, but over a million have already been restored thanks to resources staged ahead of the storm,” he continued.
“Cut and toss operations have been underway by 61 FDOT crews since 3AM. Over 2,000 miles of roadway have been cleared, and these operations continue,” the governor added.
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