Catastrophic Impact of Tropical Depression Helene on U.S. Southeast

Tropical Depression Helene has wreaked havoc in the U.S. Southeast, causing life-threatening floods and power outages. Originating as a Category 4 hurricane in Florida, the storm moved north, leaving behind significant damage, evacuation orders, and numerous deaths in multiple states.

Tropical Depression Helene unleashed life-threatening floods on Friday across the U.S. Southeast, resulting in 33 fatalities, neighborhood inundations, mudslides, and dam threats. Over 4 million homes and businesses lost power. In Tennessee, fears of a dam failure near Newport led to downtown evacuations, while another North Carolina dam neared collapse.

Helene first struck Florida's Big Bend as a Category 4 hurricane on Thursday night, bringing 140 mph winds. It left a chaotic scene of overturned boats, felled trees, and flooded streets. By Friday afternoon, Helene had weakened to a tropical depression but continued to produce catastrophic flooding.

Emergency crews carried out thousands of water rescues. In Unicoi County, Tennessee, 50 people were rescued from a hospital roof. Rising waters hindered ambulances in the area. In Cocke County, officials ordered Newport's evacuation due to a dam failure scare, which was later clarified by Duke Energy as unfounded.

Western North Carolina faced similar threats, with emergency officials urging immediate evacuations near dams. Landslides closed roads. Florida saw the extent of storm damage, including significant storm surges and grounded boats. Tampa and Pasco County conducted numerous rescues amid impassable roads.

Despite evacuation warnings, some residents stayed. Pinellas County resident Ken Wood described a harrowing night and vowed never to stay again. The storm caused multiple fatalities across affected states, with a death toll exceeding 30. Helene's wind field was unusually large, surpassing that of last year's hurricane Idalia. As of Friday, 4.6 million homes and businesses remained without power.

(With inputs from agencies.)