At least 44 people have died and millions of homes have been left without power as Hurricane Helen caused devastating flooding in the southeastern US before gradually weakening.
Heavy rains
From Tallahassee, Florida to Charlotte, North Carolina, heavy rains and strong winds caused massive damage. More than 4 million households were without power Friday night, according to poweroutage.us.
Twenty dead in N. Carolina
At least 20 people died in South Carolina, 15 in Georgia, seven in Florida, one in North Carolina and one in Virginia, according to a tally compiled by the AFP news agency based on reports from local authorities.
The strongest hurricane
Elin made landfall in northwest Florida on Thursday afternoon as a Category 4 hurricane on the five-point Saffir-Simpson scale, with sustained winds of 225 km/h. It was the strongest hurricane ever to hit the area, according to expert Michael Lowry.
It has now weakened to a tropical storm, but authorities warn that the risk of flooding and landslides has not passed.
Sources: APE-MPE-AFP-Reuters, ertnews.gr
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