Hurricane Helene kills 64 people as millions left without power after catastrophic storm: Live updates
The Nolichucky dam that runs near Greenville, Tennessee, remains intact despite concerns over its imminent collapse
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At least 64 people have died as a result of Hurricane Helene, which has caused billions of dollars worth of damage as it rips across a wide swath of the southeastern US.
In a Saturday update on Helene, the National Hurricane Center said that “catastrophic and historic flooding” would continue over portions of the Southern Appalachians, though the risk for additional heavy rainfall was continuing to decrease.
The storm, now classified a post-tropical cyclone, is expected to hover over the Tennessee Valley on Saturday and into Sunday, the NHC added. Millions have been left without power after power lines and cell towers were damaged.
Among the people killed in the storm were three firefighters, a woman and her 1-month-old twins, and an 89-year-old woman whose house was struck by a falling tree, according to an Associated Press tally.
Helene blew ashore in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane late Thursday packing winds of 140mph and then quickly moved through Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee, uprooting trees, splintering homes and sending creeks and rivers over their banks and straining dams.
Preliminarily estimates put the total damage and economic loss from Helene at between $95bn and $110bn, according to AccuWeather.
Watch: Storm surge caused by Hurricane Helene
More rain predicted over the weekend
Additional rainfall is expected this weekend across portions of the southern Appalachian region, according to the National Weather Service.
Additional totals of up to one inch of rain are expected for areas of western North Carolina, including Asheville – which has seen severe destruction and flooding.
Eastern Tennessee, including Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg will see similar levels and up to two inches is possible for portions of Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania through Monday.
“Although rainfall amounts will be light, areas that received excessive rainfall from Helene may see isolated aggression of excessive runoff,” the National Weather Service office in Greenville-Spartanburg said on Saturday morning.
In pictures: Part of North Carolina highway washed away
Death toll from Helene reaches 52 - reports
The death toll from Hurricane Helene has reached at least 52, according to an Associated Press tally.
Among the people killed in the storm were three firefighters, a woman and her 1-month-old twins, and an 89-year-old woman whose house was struck by a falling tree.
According to the AP, the deaths occurred in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
Shocking footage shows extensive flooding in Asheville, North Carolina
The village of Asheville, North Carolina, was hit with extensive flooding in the aftermath of Helene.
Footage shared online showed buildings fully submerged in water, with residents forced onto their roofs. Multiple casualties have been reported locally.
More than 3 million still without power
Despite Helene easing off on Saturday, some 3.1 million customers were left without power across the southeast on Saturday.
Customers were left in the dark in areas like South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Florida and Ohio, according to PowerOutage.us.
House fire during Hurricane Helene
Deaths across 5 states in the wake of Helene
Over 50 storm-related deaths have been reported across the states of South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and Virginia.
- At least 19 are dead in South Carolina, including two firefighters in Saluda County, according to state officials.
- In Georgia, at least 17 people have died, two of them killed by a tornado in Alamo, according to a spokesperson for Governor Brian Kemp.
- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Saturday morning raised the number of confirmed dead there to 11, including several people who drowned in Pinellas County.
- Six more deaths were reported in North Carolina including from a car wreck on a storm-slick road that killed a 4-year-old girl.
- In Craig County, Virginia, one person died in a storm-related tree fall and building collapse, according to Governor Glenn Youngkin.
North Carolina village turned into ‘a road to nowhere’ by floods
Images show North Carolina rescues as Helene bears down on the state
Images show North Carolina rescue efforts as Helene bears down on the state.
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