Hurricane Helene, which made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm, has continued to unleash hazardous flooding, powerful gusts, and power disruptions over the southeastern United States, although it has weakened. Multiple people have lost their lives, massive damage has occurred, and millions of people in various states, including Texas, have been left without power as a result of the storm.
Tropical Storm Helene, which initially made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, has caused severe destruction over the southeastern region of the United States. Late Thursday night, the storm landed in the Big Bend region of Florida with gusts of up to 140 miles per hour. The storm's intensity decreased as it travelled northward into Georgia and parts of Texas.
Although Hurricane Helene's winds have slowed to sixty miles per hour as of Friday morning, the storm is still causing severe flooding and extremely heavy rainfall. While emergency services are working to rescue people stranded by rapidly rising floodwaters, the National Hurricane Center issued a warning about "life-threatening conditions."
It is still possible for the waters around the west coast of Florida to rise to ten feet, as the storm surge warning continues to be in effect. There have been reports of significant damage, including the death of a driver in Tampa who was struck by a falling sign and the deaths of two people in Wheeler County, Georgia, who were killed by a tornado. A falling tree in Pierce County, Georgia, was also responsible for the death of a firefighter who was working there.
The number of individuals without power in the states of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Texas is currently at 3.5 million, and officials have warned that the power outages might continue for many weeks in certain locations. As the recovery efforts continue, Vice President Biden has urged locals to pay attention to the directions of local authorities and to evacuate their homes.
