US hurricane deaths rise to 45 amid fears of more ‘catastrophic’ flooding
The death toll from Hurricane Helene has risen to 45 amid fears of more “catastrophic” flooding in the United States.
Since its landfall in Florida on Thursday, Helene continues to wreak havoc in southeastern states with heavy rains and strong winds, leaving millions without power.
As of Friday, at least 45 people had died across five US states battered by the powerful storm.
After its landfall in Florida, the Category 4 hurricane surged north to Georgia, moving on to South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia, leaving a path of death and destruction.
It weakened to a tropical storm and eventually a post-tropical cyclone but continued to pour heavily, dropping more than 30cm of rain across much of the Appalachian.
And while Helene weakened, it has continued to wreak havoc with heavy rains that the National Hurricane Center said would result in “catastrophic and potentially life-threatening flash and urban flooding.”
“I am Floridian, so I’m kind of used to it, but it was real scary at one point,” said Larry Bailey, 32, who sheltered in his small wooden home all night with his two nephews and sister.
The deaths reported so far include 19 in South Carolina, 15 in Georgia, eight in Florida, two in North Carolina and one in Virginia.
Virginia’s Governor Glenn Youngkin confirmed the one fatality and warned Americans in a video message, “This storm is not over.”
Financial analysts expect that the damage caused by Helene could add to $5bn or more in insurance losses.
More than 4.2 million clients had lost power on Friday across 10 states, from Florida up to Ohio, according to tracker poweroutage.us.
The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Deanne Criswell, said “over 600 rescues” have been conducted.
Most climate scientists link the extreme weather conditions to human-caused global warming.
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