At Least 44 Dead After Hurricane Helene Makes Landfall

At least 44 people are dead just 24 hours after Hurricane Helene first made landfall in Florida.

The death toll comes as Hurricane Helene has wreaked havoc across Florida, Georgia, Virginia, and the Carolinas.

AP reported among those killed were three firefighters and a woman with her 1-month-old twins.

The Category 4 Hurricane has left nearly 4.8 million people without power and has thousands stranded in their homes.

FIRES AND FLOODS.

Hurricane Helene is causing MAJOR DESTRUCTION after making landfall this morning in Florida. At least 44 are confirmed dead and MILLIONS remain without power.

Stay tuned.pic.twitter.com/buzJIHeyhN

— Steve Hanke (@steve_hanke) September 28, 2024

Here’s what The Associated Press reported:

Hurricane Helene left an enormous path of destruction across Florida and the southeastern U.S. on Friday, killing at least 44 people, snapping towering oaks like twigs and tearing apart homes as rescue crews launched desperate missions to save people from floodwaters.

Among those killed were three firefighters, a woman and her 1-month-old twins, and an 89-year-old woman whose house was struck by a falling tree. According to an Associated Press tally, the deaths occurred in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

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The Category 4 hurricane knocked out power to some hospitals in southern Georgia, and Gov. Brian Kemp said authorities had to use chainsaws to clear debris and open up roads. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (225 kph) when it made landfall late Thursday in a sparsely populated region in Florida’s rural Big Bend area, home to fishing villages and vacation hideaways where the state’s panhandle and peninsula meet.

Moody’s Analytics said it expects $15 billion to $26 billion in property damage.

Hurricane Helene kills at least 44 and cuts a swath of destruction across the Southeast | Click on the image to read the full story https://t.co/0OygogfOvK

— WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore (@wbaltv11) September 28, 2024

Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 storm Thursday night, hitting Northwest Florida first and making its way inland, causing damage and deaths in several states: https://t.co/kJspnXY7TR pic.twitter.com/rUjT4NMyjy

— NewsNation (@NewsNation) September 27, 2024

Per Yahoo News:

At least 40 people were reported dead across the Southeastern United States after Helene made landfall Thursday night as a Category 4 hurricane. More than 4.8 million customers were without power in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas on Friday.

Now a weakened post-tropical cyclone, Helene came ashore in Florida’s Big Bend region, bringing winds up to 140 mph and life-threatening storm surges of 15 feet in some locations. As Helene traveled inland, the storm brought high winds, extreme rainfall and catastrophic flash-flooding.

The National Weather Service called for a mandatory evacuation for all residents near Lake Lure Dam in Rutherford County, N.C., saying it was at risk of “imminent” failure.

Forecasters have said Helene “is expected to turn northwestward and slow down over the Tennessee Valley later today and Saturday.”

Chimney Rock, North Carolina obliterated by flash flood from remnants of Hurricane Helene. 😮

Highway 9 Before and After pic.twitter.com/vLGIOh4xsz

— Michael Evon (@EvonDesign) September 28, 2024