Relentless Hurricane Helene Devastates Southeastern U.S.

Authorities in the southeastern U.S. are coping with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, one of the costliest storms to hit the country. With a death toll of at least 47 and damages estimated up to $110 billion, widespread flooding, power outages, and catastrophic destruction have left entire towns in ruin.

Authorities across the southeastern United States are grappling with the severe aftermath of Hurricane Helene, one of the most powerful and potentially costliest storms to hit the country. As of early Saturday, the death toll had reached at least 47, with officials fearing more fatalities across several states. Damage estimates run between $95 billion and $110 billion, positioning Helene among the most expensive storms in modern U.S. history, according to Jonathan Porter, chief meteorologist at AccuWeather.

The storm, downgraded late Friday to a post-tropical cyclone, continued to unleash heavy rainfall on several states, triggering massive flooding and the threat of dam failures that could inundate entire towns. President Joe Biden described the devastation as overwhelming, offering prayers for those impacted by the storm.

By Saturday afternoon, around 3 million customers remained without power across five states, with South Carolina and Georgia experiencing the worst outages. Helene brought extreme rainfall, with western North Carolina recording nearly 30 inches, causing severe flooding. Georgia's agricultural sector was severely affected, endangering the state's $1 billion cotton and $400 million pecan crops during harvest season.

(With inputs from agencies.)