Storm poses a threat hours after landfall

Helene weakened to a tropical storm as it swept through Georgia early Friday, although it continued to unleash life-threatening storm surges, winds and flooding rain hours after making devastating landfall on Florida's Big Bend coast.

Helene made landfall near Perry, Florida, around 11:10 p.m. ET with winds of 140 mph, making it the first known Category 4 storm to hit Florida's Big Bend region since records began in 1851 .

The storm maintained hurricane strength for several hours as it moved inland over northern Florida and into Georgia. At 5 a.m. ET, the National Hurricane Center said Helene was a tropical storm with sustained winds of 70 mph. It was located 40 miles east of Macon, Georgia, and 100 miles southeast of Atlanta and was traveling north at 30 miles per hour.

More: Hurricane Helene Tracker: Map of the storm's forecast path through Georgia

The National Weather Service in Tallahassee said further weakening was expected as the storm moved inland.

According to authorities, at least one death in Florida has been attributed to the hurricane. In central Georgia, local news outlets reported that two people died after a mobile home overturned in a suspected tornado on Thursday.

Officials feared more fatalities would be discovered Friday, although it would likely be several hours before rescue workers could get underway to help those in need.

Developments:

∎ According to the National Hurricane Center, all hurricane and tropical storm warnings have been discontinued along Florida's east coast south of the Flagler and Volusia county lines and along Florida's west coast south of the mouth of the Suwannee River.

∎ According to data from the National Hurricane Center, Helene is the 14th most powerful hurricane to ever hit the United States on record and the seventh most powerful to hit Florida.

∎ After midnight, the sheriff's office in Pasco County, north of Tampa, reported that at least 40 people had been rescued from rising water levels with the help of local firefighters.

In Mitchell and Avery counties in western North Carolina, officials declared flash flood emergencies and warned residents of “catastrophic flooding.”

Officials reported severe flooding in both counties as rainfall of more than 7 to 10 inches closed roads, flooded bridges and inundated homes and businesses. According to the weather service, water rescue work was underway across the region.

“This is a PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. LOOK FOR HIGHER ACCOMMODATIONS NOW! Life-threatening flash flooding at low-water crossings, small creeks and creeks, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses,” the weather service said in nearby South Carolina.

Over 2.5 million homes and businesses in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina were left in the dark early Friday as Helene lashed the region with strong winds and heavy rain.

Most of the outages were reported in Florida, particularly along the Big Bend coast, where the storm made landfall Thursday evening before barreling toward Georgia. More than 1.2 million utility customers were without power as of 5:30 a.m., according to a USA TODAY power outage tracker.

There were 820,000 outages reported in Georgia, while there were 420,000 outages in South Carolina and over 100,000 outages in North Carolina.

It is still too early for detailed damage reports from the counties that Helene passed through. But the National Hurricane Center says Category 4 storms threaten well-built frame homes with “severe” damage that could potentially result in the loss of roofs and walls. Most trees are snapped or uprooted and power poles are toppled.

“Power outages will last weeks to possibly months. Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months,” the hurricane center says of Category 4 storms.

The governors of Georgia and the Carolinas have declared a state of emergency as the fast-moving storm rages across the Florida coast.

“We will likely avoid the brunt of this storm, but it is still expected to bring flooding, strong winds and isolated tornadoes,” South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said. “Take appropriate precautions and monitor local forecasts.”

–Doyle Rice

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell will visit Florida on Friday to assess the storm's impact and report to Biden.

Criswell said she would fly as close to Tallahassee as possible and meet with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his team. The FEMA director said she would like to take an aerial tour if possible so she can see the damage for herself. After that, she is ready to move to Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, where Helene is also expected to be severely affected.

“Being on the ground helps me validate some of the damage more quickly, so we can get important declarations underway more quickly,” she told reporters at a White House briefing on Thursday, adding that the agency was discussing the resources it needs to respond to this disaster.

Criswell said FEMA had aggressively deployed resources in advance of Helene's arrival and advised those likely to be affected to do the same, both in Florida and in inland locations far from the storm's landfall. Up to 20 inches of rain and widespread flooding could occur in parts of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and the Appalachian Mountains.

“Take the storm seriously,” Criswell said. “People facing Hurricane Helene need to listen to officials on the ground.” If you are told to evacuate, please do so, and if you are told to shelter in place If you want to search, then you should do that too. They will give you the best information you can for your specific situation. These decisions can save lives.

− Francesca Chambers

Contributors: Tallahassee Democrat; Reuters

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