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Rescuers are still searching for survivors after Tropical Storm Helen’s heavy rain and winds devastated the southeastern United States, killing more than 60 people, destroying homes and leaving millions without power.
After making landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on Thursday, Helen tore through Georgia and the Carolinas over the weekend, causing widespread flooding.
The US government’s Federal Emergency Management Agency is coordinating a rescue and cleanup effort involving 3,200 people in six states where a state of emergency has been declared.
As of Sunday afternoon, the storm had killed at least 66 people in five states, according to the Associated Press. The storm is expected to weaken from winds of up to 140 mph and be over by Monday.
The worst-hit state, South Carolina, experienced the worst flooding in 100 years, killing at least 25 people, making it the state’s deadliest storm-related death toll since Hurricane Hugo in 1989. . *
US President Joe Biden declared major disasters in North Carolina and Florida and launched a federal aid program for the affected areas. Biden also approved emergency disaster declarations for Alabama, Georgia, Virginia, South Carolina and Tennessee, allowing federal funds to begin flowing to those states as well.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper told social media platform ” he posted.
The National Weather Service office in South Carolina said the storm was “the worst event in our office’s history.”
“We are devastated by the horrific flooding and widespread wind damage caused by Hurricane Helen across the forecast area,” it added.
Officials said many people were stranded or displaced across the region. About 2.7 million homes across the Southeast were without power, the Energy Department said, down 40% from Friday’s peak of 4.6 million.
According to Moody’s, the storm could cause up to $34 billion in losses due to property damage and reduced economic output. Preliminary damage estimates from forecaster AccuWeather are even higher, at $95 billion to $110 billion, suggesting Helen could be one of the most destructive storms in U.S. history.
“If I had to draw a line between Hilton Head and [South Carolina] to charlotte [North Carolina]South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham told CNN on Sunday.
Florida’s Big Bend region had record storm surge levels, with some counties experiencing up to 15 feet of storm surge, Fema Administrator Deanne Criswell told CBS. Let’s face the nation on sunday. Floods and landslides have occurred in North Carolina, and search and rescue operations continue.
This is “historic flooding, especially in North Carolina.” [the] “The western part of the state,” Criswell said.
National Weather Service Administrator Ken Graham said Sunday that the “staggering amounts of water” had caused devastating damage, with some parts of North Carolina receiving about 31 inches of rain.
Flash flood warnings remain in place in parts of the state and dams could burst. Graham added that more thunderstorms are expected in North Carolina, but they are not expected to bring heavy rain, and dry conditions could be expected after Tuesday. Flooding is also possible in West Virginia and West Virginia as the flood system moves north.
More than 2,000 people have been evacuated to shelters in the Southeast, said Jennifer Pipa, vice president of disaster response for the American Red Cross.
Criswell said climate change is causing much more water damage from hurricanes than in the past, when damage was primarily caused by wind.
“This storm took a while to develop, but once it did, it developed and intensified very quickly. This is due to the warm waters in the Gulf.” [climate change] “We’re seeing more storms reaching levels in this major category than we’ve ever seen before,” she said.
*This article has been corrected to clarify that South Carolina was hardest hit, not North Carolina.
