Several Dead in One of the Most Powerful Storms in U.S. History

Hurricane Helene made landfall late Thursday as one of the most powerful storms to ever hit the United States, with several fatalities reported as ferocious winds and rain lash the southeast.

Helene came ashore around 11:10 p.m. as a Category 4 storm in Florida’s Big Bend, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. It arrived with 140 mile per hour winds, making it the most powerful storm to strike the region and tying as the 14th strongest hurricane to hit anywhere in the U.S. since records began. Flash flood, tornado and high wind warnings were issued across Florida and Georgia.

At least three fatalities have been linked with Helene as of early Friday. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference that one person was killed as they were driving in Tampa “when a sign fell onto the highway.”

In Wheeler County, Georgia, two people were killed after a suspected tornado picked up and tossed a mobile home, the county coroner told NBC News. The Savannah-based WTOC-TV reported that the “trailer was taken across the highway by the tornado, hitting two vehicles, before landing in a field,” with the station adding that the victims were a male and a female.

“When we wake up tomorrow morning, the chances are there will likely have been more fatalities,” DeSantis said.

Helene is expected to create colossal storm surges of up to 20 feet in the Big Bend area, a scenario that the National Weather Service described as a “nightmare.” Michael Brennan, the National Hurricane Center’s director, said a “really unsurvivable scenario is going to play out” in the coastal region.

The hurricane weakened to a tropical storm with winds of up to 70 miles per hour, the NHC said early Friday. Helene continued to barrel northwards through Georgia and is expected to continue losing strength as it moves toward the Tennessee Valley.

Authorities warned it may take several hours to reach those in need of help. As of early Friday, over 2 million electricity customers were without power, according to PowerOutage.us. More than half of the blackouts were reported in Florida, though widespread outages were also recorded in Georgia and the Carolinas.

President Joe Biden has approved disaster declarations for those states plus Alabama. On Thursday, he said the storm was expected to be “catastrophic,” adding that search and rescue teams and medical workers were already on the ground and ready to support those affected. “Everyone needs to take it seriously,” he said. “Extremely seriously.”