Death toll climbs after 'widespread devastation' from Helene

Sept. 29 (UPI) -- At least 64 people are dead in five states, millions remain without power, roads are underwater, cell coverage is spotty and other essential services have been washed away by Helene.

The storm made landfall Thursday night in the sparsely populated Big Bend area of Florida as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 140 mph, but caused devastation with torrential rain, wind and flooding over the entire southeast as it moved inland.

Parts of South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia have all been devastated and the death toll will continue to rise, officials told The New York Times .

At least 11 people were killed in Florida, nine of whom were confirmed by Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri. All of the deceased were in evacuation zones. The other Florida deaths occurred in Dixie County and in Tampa.

Fifteen are reported dead in Georgia, including one who was an emergency worker. At least two were reported killed by a Helene-spawned tornado. Officials were investigating the causes of the other deaths statewide.

There have been at least 11 storm-related deaths in North Carolina, where destruction was widespread, according to Gov. Roy Cooper . Some have described the flooding in the state as "biblical."

"We're ok and safe," said one resident of a rural area outside of Boone, N.C., "but tremendous devastation. No power or water. Limited cell service."

Local officials said they have had trouble locating victims because of poor cell coverage. All roads in western North Carolina have been closed to all but emergency vehicles.

Two people were killed in South Carolina when trees fell on their homes, officials reported, and at least one other person has died in a traffic collision on a road that was reduced by flooding to one lane. Two volunteer firefighters are also among the dead.

At least one person is dead in Virginia after a tree fell on a home near Roanoke.