Storm Helene’s toll rises as rescue and clean-up efforts gain pace

rsponders, hampered by washed-out bridges and debris-strewn roads, are searching house by house for survivors in devastated regions of several eastern US states.

The Rocky Broad River flows into Lake Lure and overflows the town with debris from Chimney Rock, North Carolina. Picture: AFP

The death toll from the passage of powerful Storm Helene reached at least 53 on Saturday, authorities said, as responders, hampered by washed-out bridges and debris-strewn roads, searched house-by-house for survivors in devastated regions of several eastern US states.

At least 22 people died in South Carolina, 17 in Georgia, 11 in Florida, two in North Carolina and one in Virginia, according to updated reports from local authorities tallied by AFP.

Helene slammed into Florida late Thursday as a Category 4 hurricane and surged north, gradually weakening but leaving a path of rare devastation.

Repair crews were already at work Saturday, and the National Weather Service said conditions would “continue to improve today following the catastrophic flooding over the past two days.” But it warned of possible “long-duration power outages.” Nearly three million customers were still without electricity across 10 states from Florida in the southeast to Indiana and Ohio in the midwest as of midafternoon Saturday, according to tracker poweroutage.us.

Helene originally slammed into Florida’s northern Gulf shore with powerful winds of225 kilometres per hour. Even as a weakened post-tropical cyclone, it has wreaked havoc.

Record levels of flooding had threatened to breach several dams, but Tennessee emergency officials said Saturday that the Nolichucky Dam – which had been close to breaching – was no longer in danger of giving way and people downriver could return home.

Massive flooding was reported in Asheville, a city in western North Carolina. Governor Ray Cooper called it “one of the worst storms in modern history” to hit his state.

Some residents in South Carolina – a state that is no stranger to hurricanes – said Helene was the worst storm to hit in 40 years.

There were reports of remote towns in the Carolina mountains without power or cell service, their roads washed away or buried by mudslides.

In Cedar Key, an island city of 700 people just off Florida’s northwest coast, the full destructive force of the hurricane was on view.

Several pastel-coloured wooden homes were destroyed, victims of record storm surges and ferocious winds.

“I’ve lived here my whole life, and it breaks my heart to see it. We’ve not really been able to catch a break,” said Gabe Doty, a Cedar Key official, referring to two earlier hurricanes in the past year.

A man and his dog are rescued from off the coast of Florida by the US Coast Guard during Hurricane Helene.

Helene originally slammed into Florida’s northern Gulf shore with powerful winds of 140 miles (225 kilometres) per hour. Even as a weakened post-tropical cyclone, it has wreaked havoc.

Record levels of flooding had threatened to breach several dams, but Tennessee emergency officials said Saturday that the Nolichucky Dam — which had been close to breaching — was no longer in danger of giving way and people downriver could return home.

Massive flooding was reported in Asheville, a city in western North Carolina. Governor Ray Cooper called it “one of the worst storms in modern history” to hit his state.

Some residents in South Carolina – a state that is no stranger to hurricanes – said Helene was the worst storm to hit in 40 years.

There were reports of remote towns in the Carolina mountains without power or cell service, their roads washed away or buried by mudslides.

In Cedar Key, an island city of 700 people just off Florida’s northwest coast, the full destructive force of the hurricane was on view.

Several pastel-coloured wooden homes were destroyed, victims of record storm surges and ferocious winds.

“I’ve lived here my whole life, and it breaks my heart to see it. We’ve not really been able to catch a break,” said Gabe Doty, a Cedar Key official, referring to two earlier hurricanes in the past year.

AFP