On Saturday, an American flag flies over the town hall in Horseshoe Beach, Florida, which was destroyed after Hurricane Helene.Stephen Smith/AP

Hurricane Helene raged Recent days have seen devastation across the Southeast, killing more than 60 people and providing a frightening example of how climate change is making storms worse.

Since the hurricane hit northern Florida on Thursday, at least 64 people have died, including 1-month-old twins and their 27-year-old mother in Georgia, as well as a couple in their 70s and a 6-year-old relative who drowned in North Carolina, the Associated Press reported Sunday . North Carolina was particularly hard hit, with more than 2 feet of rain falling in western parts of the state, leading to the closure of about 300 roads, according to federal authorities.

The storm also brought more than a foot of rain to parts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, as well as massive power outages, including at times in 40 percent of South Carolina, the AP reports. According to PowerOutage.us, there were more than 2.2 million power outages across the Southeast as of Sunday afternoon, including more than 870,000 in South Carolina and more than 600,000 in Georgia.

In a statement on Saturday, President Joe Biden said he was “deeply saddened by the loss of life and devastation” caused by Helene, adding: “As we turn to recovery efforts, we will ensure that no resources are spared.” remain to ensure that families, businesses, schools, hospitals and entire communities can begin to rebuild quickly.”

Before the storm made landfall, Biden approved emergency aid requests from the governors of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina and deployed 1,500 federal forces to the region, the White House released Friday. On Sunday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that Biden had approved major disaster declarations for North Carolina and Florida, unlocking further aid for both states.

“Doug and I are thinking of those who tragically lost their lives, and we extend our prayers to all those who loved them in the difficult days ahead,” Vice President Kamala Harris said in a statement Saturday, adding that she would FEMA officials are continuing to update the situation and continue to receive regular updates.

To CBS's Face the nation On Sunday, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell blamed climate change for the storm's rapid intensification – and warned that the devastation was a harbinger of what's to come on our increasingly warming planet. “When we looked at hurricane damage in the past, it was primarily wind damage, with some water damage, but now we're seeing a lot more water damage, and I think that's a result of the warm water that's a result of that.” climate change,” Criswell said.