Helene topped out at 140 mph (225 kph) sustained winds with occasional stronger gusts. The dead were spread out across Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, and Virginia. The remnants of Helene currently sit over Tennessee, where the National Hurricane Center warns flooding is still possible in the Tennessee Valley and Southern Appalachian Mountain regions.
Rescue workers are still working around the clock in the worst-hit states, and they fear the death toll will continue to rise as they search through more houses.
Many areas were completely flooded and remain accessible only by boat. Authorities urged residents not to brave the water in an attempt to escape and recommended they wait for rescue instead. They noted that the water could be dangerous due to electrical lines, sewage, and sharp objects floating under the surface.
In Erwin, Tennessee, the Unicoi County Hospital was almost completely submerged, with rescuers taking still intubated patients out on rafts.
At least three million people remain without power across Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas, with further power outages reported in Ohio and Indiana due to high winds caused by the outskirts of the storm.
Tornadoes were also reported during the storm, including in North Carolina where one twister severely injured four people.
In Atlanta 11.2 in (28.4 cm) of rain fell across two days, the largest amount since the city started keeping records. The previous record of 9.59 in (24.3 cm) was set in 1886.
Helene made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida’s northwest coast, a sparsely populated area consisting of vacation spots and fishing towns.
The storm also affected parts of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and took out power for 200,000 homes and businesses in Cuba.
In response to the storm, US President Joe Biden approved emergency assistance to Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, according to a “fact sheet” released by the White House. It noted that Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, “are praying for those who lost loved ones and everyone impacted by this storm.”