Millions without power as Helene continues to flood southeastern US

Neighborhoods are underwater, dozens of people are dead and millions of Americans remain without power Saturday as Tropical Storm Helene continues to flood the southeastern United States.

Helene, which made landfall as a category 4 hurricane earlier this week, has caused power outages in 10 states, impacting over 3 million people. It was downgraded to a tropical storm early Friday.

The storm’s incursion, which began in Florida, has now spread deeper into the U.S., plowing through parts of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee.

So far, at least 52 people have died across five states with the most being in South Carolina, 23 people, The Associated Press (AP) reported . With the exception of South Carolina, deaths have been tallied in Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Causes ranged from drowning to falling trees. The storm has also pushed rivers over their banks, fatigued dams and downed foliage.

“HELENE is forecast to continue to weaken and dissipate by Monday,” the Weather Prediction Center said in an update Saturday. “The system will produce moderate to heavy rain over parts of the Ohio/Tennessee Valleys.”

Heightened water levels occurred, in part, due to high winds pushing the water, getting up to 15 feet in some areas of Florida, the center said. Landslides could occur with consistent flooding and intense winds, officials warned.

The National Weather Service (NWS) put out a flash flood warning Saturday as operators reported the imminent failure of the Nolichucky Dam near Greeneville, Tenn. Some 58 patients and staff were also trapped on the roof of a hospital in Erwin, Tenn., on Friday, the BBC reported .

The latest deadly storm comes after experts predicted earlier this year that the 2024 hurricane season would be “extremely active.” Now, more than halfway through the Atlantic storm season, the storm count may not be as high.

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