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.
Insurers could pay $5B to cover losses from Helene
Insurance data provider A.M. Best on Friday estimated that insurers will pay $5 billion or more to cover losses from Hurricane Helene.
A.M. Best said insurers paid $2.5 billion to $4 billion in losses for Hurricane Idalia last year, and it expects losses from Helene to be more severe.
Biden calls devastation caused by Helene ‘overwhelming'
In a post on X, president Joe Biden call devastation in the wake of in Hurricane Helene “overwhelming.”
“Jill and I continue to pray for all of those who have lost loved ones and for everyone impacted by this storm.” Biden wrote.
“Early this morning, I approved Tennessee’s emergency declaration and my Administration continues to surge response personnel as the storm tracks north. Our focus is on life-saving and life-sustaining response efforts in the Southeast – and I continue to be briefed by my team which is 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’ll be on the ground with them helping them recover long after this storm has passed.”
In pictures: Helene causes devastation in Florida
Climate change likely increasing hurricanes’ intensity
The proportion of hurricanes that fall into the more intense Categories 4 and 5 are expected to increase as the planet heats up, according to the most recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the United Nations' climate science authority.
“These hurricanes are getting bigger and stronger and that is due to simple energy transfer,” said Claudia Benitez-Nelson, a climate scientist at the University of South Carolina.
This is expected to continue and worsen as the planet heats up.
Benitez-Nelson also noted that climate change is causing hurricanes to intensify more quickly, potentially giving people less time to prepare.
It comes after Helene went from a Category 1 storm to a Category 4 in less than a day amid unusually warm ocean temperatures.
Damage caused by Hurricane Helene could be up to $110 billion
Preliminarily estimates put the total damage and economic loss from Hurricane Helene at between $95 billion and $110 billion, according to AccuWeather.
Helene is expected to be one of the costliest storms in US history because of the devastating storm surge, damaging winds and historic flooding.
In particular, the forecaster noted, the widespread storm surge impacts along the populated west coast of Florida, such as Tampa Bay, as well as the historic, catastrophic flooding disaster in the Appalachians are significant contributing factors to the estimate.
Concern over dam collapses in North Carolina and Tennessee
Residents downstream of two dams on the North Carolina-Tennessee border were told to urgently evacuate after reports that the structures were at risk of failure due to flooding and deluges from Hurricane Helene.
The Waterville Dam in Tennessee, which sits across the state line from Newport, North Carolina, was declared a state of emergency. Residents in Newport, a town of 7,000 people, were ordered to get out on Friday afternoon.
Earlier on Friday in another part of North Carolina, Rutherford County emergency management officials warned residents below the Lake Lure dam to evacuate due to “imminent failure” - but later said the structure was holding.
North Carolina governor requests major disaster declaration
On Friday, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper requested a Major Disaster Declaration from the federal government for North Carolina for 39 counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians for federal public assistance and individual assistance in the aftermath of Helene.
The declaration will start the process for providing critical financial assistance to people and communities hit hard by the storm, the governor’s office said.
“Helene brought pain and destruction to our state and we’re working to get help to people quickly,” Cooper said in a statement. “As waters recede and winds die down, families and communities will need assistance to clean up and recover and this request can help speed up the process.”
Watch: Fox Weather reporter rescues Atlanta woman from Helene floodwaters
More than 3,000 calls made to local 911 center in North Carolina
Ryan Cole, the emergency services assistant director in Buncombe County, North Carolina, said his 911 center received more than 3,300 calls in eight hours Friday.
“This is something that we’re going to be dealing with for many days and weeks to come,” Cole told The Associated Press.
Forecasters warned of flooding in North Carolina that could be worse than anything seen in the past century. The Connecticut Army National Guard has sent a helicopter to help.
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