The remnants of Hurricane Helen stalled in the Tennessee Valley on Saturday, with the death toll from the devastating storm reaching 52, some 3.8 million homes and businesses in 10 states still without power, and an estimated cost of $110 billion in damage. It swelled to dollars.
The superstorm, which was downgraded to a tropical storm on Saturday, hit the southeastern United States after making landfall in Florida on Thursday night.
Helen was one of the most powerful storms to hit the United States, with winds of up to 160 mph, and the third storm to hit the Panhandle region in just over a year.
Deaths were recorded across Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, including a mother and her twin babies, three firefighters and an 89-year-old woman whose home was crushed by a falling tree. is included.
in press conference Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Saturday that he had seen homes “completely obliterated” across the coast, where he reported storm surge reaching 15 to 18 feet, and in some cases 20 feet. .
Major river flooding continued Saturday across the southern Appalachians, and flood warnings remain in effect for parts of the Southeast and south-central Appalachians. According to the National Weather Service.
Heavy rains nearly caused the Nolichucky Dam in Greenville, Tennessee to burst, but the NWS called it a “particularly dangerous situation” and urged at least 100,000 residents in the area to “seek higher ground now!” Ta.
The dam remained intact despite water levels 8 feet above record crest, according to the Tennessee Valley Authority, but officials will continue to evaluate it to determine “next steps.” said that it is in progress.
Although the heavy rain has passed, many areas in northeast Tennessee remain flooded, the Emergency Management Agency announced Saturday. “All roads should be considered potentially dangerous,” it warned.
President Biden approves emergency disaster relief for the states on Saturday. He declared a disaster in South Carolina on Friday. Similar declarations were issued in Florida and Georgia before the storm.
As of Saturday afternoon, more than 1 million homes and businesses were without power in South Carolina alone, the most in the state since Hurricane Irma left 7.6 million without power in 2017, according to PowerOutage.US. It became.
“Team SC is working hard to clean up, clear the streets and restore power,” South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said on Friday's X show. “This will take time, many days in some locations,” he added.
Saturday he Reposted Photos from the state Department of Transportation show crews working with power companies to remove thousands of trees toppled by the storm in the western part of the state.
Atlanta, Georgia received 11.2 inches of rain in 48 hours, above normal. 1886 9.6 inch record. Floodwaters in the state's rivers had fallen as much as 10 feet by Saturday, meteorologists said.
In Busick, North Carolina, nearly 30 inches of rain fell in two days.
Western North Carolina was virtually cut off, with Interstate 40 and other roads blocked by landslides and flooding. According to reports.
Hundreds of water rescues were carried out in the region, including a dramatic scene in which dozens of staff and patients were rescued by helicopter from the roof of a hospital in east Tennessee.
Fox Weather meteorologist Stephen MacLeod told the Post that many flash flood emergency warnings had expired as of Saturday as river flooding began to subside across the affected state. “The purification process is now important,” he says.
“The worst is behind us,” MacLeod added.
Experts say massive storm surges in densely populated parts of Florida, including the Tampa Bay area, and catastrophic flooding in the Appalachian Mountains are expected to account for most of the destruction and economic losses. .
According to one report, total losses from Helen are expected to be between $95 billion and $110 billion. AccuWeather estimatesconsidering impacts such as damage to homes, businesses, roads and vehicles, power outages, lost wages, flight delays and supply chain impacts.
Airlines are recovering after Friday's massive delays and widespread cancellations. As of midday Saturday, there were 1,300 delayed flights and 135 cancellations across the U.S., according to tracking service FlightAware.
Damage from Helen could make it one of the most destructive storms to hit the United States
Hurricane Ian in 2022 caused total damage and economic losses between $180 billion and $210 billion, while Hurricane Harvey in 2017 caused $190 billion.
Hurricane Sandy in 2012 caused losses of $210 billion, and Katrina in 2005 caused losses of $320 billion.
Remnants of the storm fell as light rain in the New York City area on Saturday, and were expected to continue into the beginning of the week.
Meanwhile, three other storms were swirling in the Atlantic, including two that could make landfall in the United States. Hurricane Isaac hurtled through the north-central Atlantic and is expected to dissipate within days, while Tropical Storm Joyce swept up hundreds of people. It was several miles east of the Caribbean Sea and appeared to be heading north.
A third storm, which has yet to be named, is beginning to form south and east of Joyce and is expected to increase in size and strength over the next few days as it moves across the ocean.
with post wire
