The powerful storm that slammed into northern Florida as a Category 4 hurricane on Thursday night has been downgraded to a tropical storm as it moves across the southeast.
Hurricane Helene made landfall around 10 miles west of Perry, Florida, at 11:10 p.m. ET, Fox Weather reported. Helene set the record for the strongest hurricane to hit Florida’s Big Bend, the area of the state where the panhandle meets the peninsula.
As the storm moved inland into Alabama and Georgia, it weakened to a tropical storm. Helene, however, remains dangerous, causing flooding and high winds that knocked out power for nearly one million customers in Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. That’s in addition to the over 1.2 million customers without power in Florida, CNN reported. At least three storm-related deaths have been reported as of early Friday morning, and around 25 people in Atlanta have been rescued from flooding, authorities told CNN.
ATLANTA WATER RESCUES: Fire crews conducting water rescues as neighbors in Peachtree Park apartments evacuate due to rising flood waters from Peachtree Creek. Full report starting at 4:00 pic.twitter.com/bT0o9IktH0
— Lindsay Tuman (@LindsayOnTV) September 27, 2024
Florida, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia have all declared states of emergency over Helene, with authorities warning of catastrophic flooding. As of Friday morning, Tropical Storm Helene was centered just east of Macon, Georgia, and moving northward at 30 mph, according to The Weather Channel.
The storm is expected to bring high winds and potential flash flooding to Tennessee and Kentucky and parts of Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia later on Friday. The east coasts of North and South Carolina are also at an increased risk of tornadoes on Friday.
Videos posted to social media showed the massive damage caused by Hurricane Helene in Florida. Footage of Cedar Key, Florida, posted by a storm chaser showed water nearly reaching the roofs of some houses as waves and high wind battered others.
Insane footage of storm surge coming from Cedar Key, FL. Please continue to pray for those in the path of Hurricane Helene. #Helene #HurricaneHelene pic.twitter.com/rU6MSAmUNq
— James Jinnette (@james_jinnette1) September 27, 2024
Florida saw extreme flooding as far south as Maderia Beach — near Tampa — as video showed water rising in the lobby of a resort.
Really bad flooding going on in Maderia Beach area. This is the lobby of the All Season Resort. Stay safe out there! Get the latest on #Helene -> https://t.co/qyo9QUAXi9
Couresy: Randy Paradine pic.twitter.com/U6ycY2DQRz
— Spectrum Bay News 9 (@BN9) September 27, 2024