Hurricane Helene kills 52, millions left without power across southern US

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At least 52 people have died in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 storm that swept across the southeastern United States. The hurricane made landfall in Florida late Thursday, causing widespread destruction and a massive storm surge that impacted several neighboring states.

Emergency responders have been working around the clock to rescue people trapped in flooded homes. In one particularly dangerous operation, dozens of patients and staff were rescued from the roof of a hospital in Tennessee. The Unicoi County Hospital was surrounded by rapidly rising floodwaters, making rescue by boat impossible. A helicopter eventually succeeded in landing on the roof after other attempts were thwarted by the storm’s high winds.

Millions of people in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, North and South Carolina are without power, with rescue efforts ongoing. Many areas, including parts of Georgia and North Carolina, remain at risk of severe flooding and flash floods. Several hospitals in southern Georgia have been left without electricity, and in western North Carolina, authorities have warned residents near the Lake Lure Dam of an imminent failure.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis described the damage in the hardest-hit areas as worse than that caused by Hurricanes Idalia and Debby earlier in the year. Federal emergency assistance has been approved by President Joe Biden, and response teams, including medical staff and engineers, are actively working in the affected regions.