Hurricane Helene, already downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone, left more than fifty dead and caused great damage in five states in the southeastern United States before continuing to lose strength heading north through the interior of the country.
According to the latest counts, the meteorological phenomenon, which entered as a Category 4 hurricane in Florida on Thursday night, caused at least 19 deaths in South Carolina; 17 in Georgia; 11 in Florida; 6 in North Carolina, and one in Virginia.
Authorities continue to work on rescuing survivors and recovering affected areas, which have faced dangerous flooding and river flooding as a result of torrential rains, hurricane-force winds and tornadoes.
According to the Weather Prediction Center, Helene is expected to continue weakening and dissipate on Monday, but until then there is a risk of heavy rain in parts of Ohio and the Tennessee valleys, which could reach the Appalachian mountain range.
The National Hurricane Center warned that there has been record flooding in the southern Appalachian Mountains and urged caution due to the risk posed by downed power poles, also warning that blackouts could last for a while in some areas.
President Joe Biden offered his condolences to the victims and families through an X message in which he described the “overwhelming” devastation of Hurricane Helene and approved an emergency declaration for Tennessee.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has deployed more than 800 troops and coordinates a federal force of more than 3,200 workers, including the American Red Cross, which is sheltering 1,900 evacuees in a hundred shelters, according to a report. note.
In North Carolina there were 400 blocked roads today, especially in the west of the state, making emergency tasks difficult; The alpine city of Asheville was one of the most affected, practically isolated by land and without electricity.
Some 3 million people are still without power in a dozen states, and the most affected are the two Carolinas, Georgia and Florida, indicates the PowerOutage portal.
There are hundreds of flights delayed and canceled in the US and the most affected airports are Asheville and Charlotte (North Carolina), and Atlanta and Augusta (Georgia), according to the Flightaware portal.
