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Helene leaves behind deaths, power outages and destroyed cities

Helene leaves behind deaths, power outages and destroyed cities
Posted on | Posted on angela

Hurricane Helene, which has left massive destruction along the Florida coast since making landfall on Thursday, is now causing historic flooding, widespread power outages and other damage along an 800-mile path northward, affecting the Carolinas, Tennessee, Georgia and other states.

More than 60 deaths have been attributed to the Category 4 hurricane in the southeastern United States. Almost 3 million households and businesses are without power.

In North Carolina, floodwaters from excessive rainfall have inundated Asheville and other cities, leaving residents trapped in their homes without light or food. Flooded streets are making it difficult for rescue workers to reach them, USA TODAY reported.

USA TODAY followed Helene's path of devastation across the southern United States. Here's what we found:

Helene landed in Florida and moved north

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Thursday, September 26th

Florida

Helene made landfall near Perry, Florida, at 11:10 p.m. as a Category 4 storm with winds of 140 mph and a large field of hurricane and tropical storm-force winds.

Friday, September 27th

Georgia

Helene will reach Georgia early Friday morning as a Category 2 hurricane with winds of up to 100 miles per hour. Heavy rain causes rivers to swell in Atlanta.

Tennessee

The Nolichucky Dam in Greene County is at risk of breaching, the Tennessee Valley Authority said late Friday evening. After the Nolichucky River's water crest, the TVA announced Saturday afternoon that the dam was “stable and safe.”

At least 45 people were rescued from the roof of Unicoi County Hospital about 120 miles northeast of Knoxville Friday afternoon after the facility was surrounded by floodwaters from Helene.

Saturday September 28th

Florida

North Carolina

Buildings and bridges in Chimney Rock, a village near the popular Chimney Rock State Park, are destroyed by flooding from the Broad River.

The state Department of Transportation says more than 400 roads in North Carolina should be considered closed I-40 and I-26 are impassable at multiple locations.

South Carolina

On Facebook, the National Weather Service in Greenville-Spartanburg said flooding and wind damage was “the worst event in our office's history.”

Why is Helene so destructive?

Meteorologists warned last Tuesday that a combination of weather patterns was likely to drench the region. An overhead front was predicted to interact with a plume of moisture moving in ahead of Helene, USA TODAY reported.

Features of Hurricane Helene include:

  • Size: It was large, about 350 miles wide.
  • Strength: At landfall, wind speeds reached 140 miles per hour, creating a widespread storm surge.
  • Heavy rains: In the mountains of North Carolina alone, rainfall totals were 29.6 inches in Busick and 24.2 inches in Mount Mitchell.
  • Speed: Helene was moving up to 24 miles per hour offshore and 30 miles per hour over land.

At least 63 deaths have been reported in five states

South Carolina has the highest reported death toll:

  • South Carolina: 23
  • Georgia: 17
  • Florida: 12
  • North Carolina: 10
  • Virginia: 1

Contributing: Dinah Voyles Pulver, Josh Meyer, N'dea Yancey-Bragg, Will Hofmann, Michael Loria, Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY

Source: USA TODAY Network reporting and research; Reuters; National Hurricane Center; poweroutages.us; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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