Hurricane Helene: 26 Dead As Category 4 Hurricane Makes Landfall In Florida’s Big Bend Region

Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region on Thursday night as a Category 4 hurricane, the strongest on record to hit the area. Since then, it has weakened to a tropical storm and is moving through Georgia and the Carolinas, causing severe rainfall and dangerous flash flooding as it heads toward Tennessee.

Current Location of the Storm

By Friday morning, Helene had weakened to a tropical storm over the Carolinas, with sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm is expected to continue weakening as it moves north across Georgia. At 11 a.m., the center of the storm was reported to be approximately 30 miles (50 kilometers) southwest of Bryson City, North Carolina, and about 105 miles (165 kilometers) north-northeast of Atlanta, moving at 32 mph (52 kph).

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Helene had wobbled before hitting Florida’s coast on Thursday, making landfall near the Aucilla River with maximum winds of 140 mph (225 kph). This location was about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of where Hurricane Idalia made landfall the previous year, causing widespread destruction.

Evacuations were in progress Friday morning in parts of Western North Carolina. Authorities from Haywood County, near Asheville, were assisting in evacuating people from Cruso, Clyde, Canton, and lower-lying parts of Waynesville.

Reported Fatalities

The storm has been linked to at least 26 deaths, as reported by ABC News. In Georgia, 11 people have died, including a first responder who was attempting to rescue others, Governor Brian Kemp stated. Among the victims in McDuffie County were a mother and her twin infants. Local officials confirmed that in Wheeler County, a man and a woman were killed when their mobile home overturned.

In Florida, one fatality occurred in Dixie County when a tree fell on a house, Governor Ron DeSantis noted. Another individual was killed on Interstate 4 near Tampa when a sign fell on a car. In North Carolina, a person died when a tree collapsed on a home in Charlotte, and another was killed in a traffic accident in Catawba County.

South Carolina officials have reported six deaths, with two occurring in Anderson County and four in Aiken County.

Airport Disruptions Due To Hurricane Helene

Over 800 flights were canceled nationwide on Friday. While Florida airports that had closed due to Helene, such as those in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Lakeland, and Tallahassee, were set to reopen, major cancellations continued at other airports. Charlotte Douglas International, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, and Tampa International experienced the highest number of cancellations.

In Orlando, the state’s busiest airport, 77 flights had been canceled within the last 24 hours, according to FlightAware. Despite remaining operational, both Atlanta and Charlotte airports faced significant delays and cancellations, with nearly 300 flights to or from Charlotte canceled by 8 a.m., and another 400 delayed. At Atlanta’s airport, more than 130 flights were canceled, and over 180 were delayed.

The Tampa airport, which had been closed on Thursday, reopened by Friday morning.

Road and Bridge Inspections After Hurricane Helene Landfall

Inspectors were deployed Friday to assess bridges and causeways along Florida’s Gulf Coast to quickly reopen them to traffic, said Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue. He reported that approximately 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) of roadway had been cleared of debris.

Perdue explained that several causeways were submerged during the storm surge, requiring thorough inspections before reopening to ensure their safety. He added that storm surges had affected numerous roads along the west coast.

Power Outages

As of Friday morning, over 4 million customers across the southern U.S. were without power. In Georgia, over 1 million were affected, while the same number was without power in Florida. Additionally, more than 1.3 million people in South Carolina and 600,000 in North Carolina were impacted. More than 50 healthcare facilities in Florida were operating on generator power.

Storm Surge and Flooding

Flooding began along Florida’s coast even before Helene made landfall, with rapidly rising waters reported as far south as Fort Myers. Early Friday, Hillsborough County authorities were rescuing individuals stranded by floodwaters using large ATVs. In Cedar Key, many homes and businesses were flooded, including the city’s fire rescue building, which sustained severe damage.

Officials in Pasco County, north of Tampa, reported rescuing around 200 people from floodwaters overnight. At least 65 were rescued along the US-19 corridor. While water levels began to recede by Friday morning, emergency services had received over 100 calls for assistance.

Hurricane Measurement

Hurricanes are typically measured using the Saffir-Simpson Scale, which categorizes storms from 1 to 5 based on their sustained wind speeds at the center, with Category 5 being the most severe.

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