Helene brings catastrophic flooding, demands huge rescue and cleanup efforts

Helene weakened Friday as it moved across the Midwest. As of Friday afternoon it had become a post-tropical cyclone with maximum wind speeds of 35 miles per hour.

The National Hurricane Center's final Friday bulletin on the storm placed the center of the system about 50 miles south-southeast of Louisville, Kentucky, moving north-northwest at about 17 miles per hour.

Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane about 10 miles from Perry, Florida, late Thursday. At the time, it had top sustained winds of 140 mph. Hurricane-force winds extended 60 miles from its center, while tropical storm-force winds extended up to 310 miles from the center.

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As of late Friday afternoon, the storm was still producing "life-threatening flash and urban flooding" through the Southern Appalachians.

In Atlanta, neighborhoods are underwater after Helene dumped more than a foot of rain in some areas.

"It’s all flooded," said Atlanta resident Anshudhar Siwach. "The banks are flooded.”

Jason Allen/AP

North Carolina wasn't spared from the powerful storm. It's dealing with flash flooding and landslides.

“This is one of the worst storms in modern history for parts of western North Carolina," said Roy Cooper, governor of North Carolina. "The end of the rain is not the end of the threat.”

Helene should continue to weaken by the end of Friday, while still producing rain over the Ohio Valley.

Millions were still without power across affected states on Friday evening, according to poweroutage.us.

"If you use a generator after the storm, be sure it is placed outside at least 20 feet away from doors, windows and garages to avoid deadly carbon monoxide poisoning," the National Weather Service stated.

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