At least 43 dead as Storm Helene batters Florida

At least 43 people have been killed after Hurricane Helene pummelled five states with heavy rain and strong winds.
More than four million Americans have been left without power as the storm devastated an area of 800 square miles, triggering power outages in two Georgia hospitals and causing a dam to overflow in North Carolina. Mudslides were also triggered in the mountains of Appalachia.
Helene, the seventh strongest hurricane to hit Florida, made landfall in the eastern state as a category four hurricane. However, it weakened to a tropical storm as it moved more inland over Georgia, the National Hurricane Center said. 
At least 19 people have been killed so far, with seven deaths in Florida, 11 in Georgia and one in North Carolina.
Joe Biden said: “As we mourn the lives of those who were taken by this storm, I urge folks to heed the direction of local officials and take every precaution to keep themselves and their families safe.”
A seventh person has died as a result of Storm Helene after a tree fell on a home in South Carolina.
Anderson County coroner’s office urged residents to hold off from trying to reach the scene of the incident to avoid putting themselves in danger.
“Due to the weather, we do not recommend anyone taking a chance on trying to go to the scene at this time, we do not want anyone to put themselves in danger,” a spokeswoman said.
It is the first death reported in the state of South Carolina as a result of the storm and the seventh overall.
Landslide warnings are in place across the southern Appalachians as storm Helene migrates north.
“Numerous significant landslides are expected in steep terrain across the southern Appalachians,” the National Hurricane Centre said. “This rainfall will likely result in catastrophic and potentially life-threatening flash and urban flooding, along with significant and record river flooding.”
The region includes parts of the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.
Power lines are down across Atlanta, including at the mayor’s own home, as flood waters uproot trees in Georgia’s capital city.
Andre Dickens, the mayor of Atlanta, issued a warning to residents to stay at home.
He told CNN: “We’re telling people to stay in the house, stay safe, and let us make sure that the emergency vehicles can get what they need to get to deal with these emergencies.”
A second person has been killed in Florida this morning after a tree fell on a house, Governor Ron deSantis told reporters.
“There’s been another fatality in Dixie County due to a tree falling on a home during the storm,” he said in a press conference.
The total death toll from storm has reached at least six people so far.
Tropical storm Helene is currently located about 80 miles north east of Atlanta and moving to the north at 30 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. 
Sustained winds have reduced to 60 mph, but hurricane-force gusts can still occur.
Tornadoes are also possible this morning over eastern Georgia, and throughout the afternoon in the Carolinas and southern Virginia.
Parts of Florida are 10 feet under water as a result of Hurricane Helene.
A record storm surge – meaning the rise in ocean water above dry land – was measured in Florida’s Big Bend area, topping levels set last year by Hurricane Idalia.
Water levels also reached a new record of eight feet in Tampa Bay.
A fifth person has been killed in tropical storm Helene after a tree fell on a home in Charlotte, North Carolina, reports suggest.
The incident occurred at around 5am this morning after strong winds caused the tree to keel over, the city’s fire department said.
Another adult trapped with the person who died was rescued, the fire department added. Their condition is unclear.
“The minor children in the home were not physically harmed,” the department posted on Facebook.
A flash flood emergency has been issued for Atlanta until 1pm EST.
The warning is understood to cover the downtown area of the city as well as the airport.
It is the most severe flood alert the National Weather Service can use and indicates a life-threatening situation.
Residents have been warned to “move immediately” to higher ground.
Flash Flood Emergency including North Atlanta GA, Tucker GA and Lilburn GA until 1:15 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/Z7nj2sBmI4
Around three million energy customers will wake up without power on Friday morning because of storm Helene. 
That includes nearly one million Americans in Georgia, 723,000 in South Carolina and 252,000 in North Carolina.
Two more deaths have been reported after Hurricane Helene swept through Florida and into Georgia. 
A firefighter was killed by a tree falling on his car, according to NBC News, while another person was killed when a tree fell on their house in North Carolina. 
“Catastrophic, life-threatening, record-breaking” flash flooding is expected as storm Helene moves inland on Friday.
The National Hurricane Centre said it would continue to wreak havoc in Georgia, the two Carolina states, before moving towards Tennessee and Kentucky.
“Residents in these areas should be prepared for the possibility of long-duration power outages,” it said.
Five states have been hit by Helene’s strong winds and heavy rain. It made landfall in Florida before moving on to Georgia, North and South Carolina, and is now making its way to Tennessee.
More than two million customers have been left without power after Hurricane Helene. 
Around 1.2 million of those live in Florida, though the number of customers without power in Georgia and South Carolina is rising. 
Helene has been weakened to a tropical storm with winds of around 70 mph over Georgia, according to the National Hurricane Centre.
It warned that “life-threatening storm surge, winds and heavy rains continue”.
It reached landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm – just one below the most dangerous. It is is considered to have been one of the most devastating storms in the region in US history.
One Florida sheriff has issued a stark warning to local residents, warning them not to “ride round sightseeing” as sunrise approaches along the east coast.
“As Hurricane Helene makes its way out of Suwannee County we cannot stress this enough: STAY OFF THE ROADS… DO NOT BE RIDING AROUND SIGHT SEEING!”, the sheriff’s office for Suwannee County wrote on Facebook.
“We’re fearing the worst when the sun comes up,” it added.
Hurricane Helene may have been downgraded from Category 1 to 4 but residents in Georgia have been warned the situation remains “dangerous and life-threatening”.
According to the National Hurricane Centre, the hurricane is moving further into the state at a speed of around 30mph. Meanwhile, two weather stations in Georgia have recorded wind gusts over 90 mph.
“Persons should not leave their shelters,” the update read.
A Florida resident was forced to take refuge in a kayak in his living room as Hurricane Helene made landfall on Friday.
The number of people without power has risen to nearly two million across four states, with the majority in Florida.
Two people in Wheeler County, Georgia, have died, the county coroner has told CBS News.
It takes the total confirmed death toll from Hurricane Helene to three after one person died in Florida.
Marty, the girls, and I are saddened to learn of the loss of two lives in Wheeler County this evening. As we join their families in mourning their deaths, we urge all Georgians to brace for further impact from Helene, remain vigilant, and pray for all those affected. https://t.co/LRo0jV7w6Z
Ron DeSantis, Florida’s governor, urged residents to “hunker down” as Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 storm.
Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida in the early hours of the morning, wreaking havoc along the Gulf Coast in cities such as Tampa. 
It has been making its way to Georgia, though with weakened wind speeds of around 90 mph.
A catastrophic and deadly storm surge is occurring along portions of the Florida Big Bend coast, where inundation could reach as high as 20 feet above ground level, along with destructive waves. There is also a danger of life-threatening storm surge along the remainder of the… pic.twitter.com/JJBcVlAQI9
A US coast guard air station rescued a sailor and his dog after his 36ft boat became disabled off Sanibel Island, Florida. 
The man called Channel 16, the emergency channel for marine radios, after coming into trouble.
Hurricane Helene has been downgraded to a Category 1 storm with wind speeds of around 90 mph.
It made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, and was downgraded to Category 2 around an hour ago, but has continued to lose power as it moves into the neighbouring state of Georgia.
“Further weakening is expected as it continues to move north-northeast,” the National Weather Service in Tallahassee said.
Most of Georgia’s public school districts and several universities have cancelled classes as areas 100 miles north of the Georgia-Florida line anticipated hurricane conditions. 
Overnight curfews have also been imposed in many cities and counties in south Georgia, including Albany, Valdosta, and Thomasville.
Officials in Atlanta, Georgia, fear Helene could be the worst strike on a major Southern inland city in 35 years.
Hurricane Helene has been downgraded from a category four to two in the last hour.
Hurricanes are given categories between one and five, depending on their sustained wind speed. 
Category one and two storms are classified as “dangerous”, while any higher are considered ‘major’ hurricanes “because of their potential for significant loss of life and damage”.
Helene arrived barely a year since Hurricane Idalia slammed into Florida’s Big Bend and caused widespread damage.
Idalia became a Category 4 in the Gulf of Mexico but made landfall as a Category 3 near Keaton Beach, with maximum sustained winds near 125mph.
The storm’s wrath was felt widely, with sustained tropical storm-force winds and hurricane-force gusts along Florida’s west coast.
Water lapped over a road in Siesta Key near Sarasota and covered some intersections in St. Pete Beach. Lumber and other debris from a fire in Cedar Key a week ago crashed ashore in the rising water.
President Joe Biden urged people to heed official evacuation warnings.
“I urge everyone in and near the path of Helene to listen to local officials and follow evacuation warnings,” he said. “Take this seriously, and be safe.”
The governors of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, the Carolinas and Virginia all declared emergencies in their states.
One person was killed in Florida when a sign fell on their car and two people were reported killed in a possible tornado in south Georgia as the storm approached.
“When Floridians wake up tomorrow morning, we’re going to be waking up to a state where very likely there’s been additional loss of life and certainly there’s going to be loss of property,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said at a news conference Thursday night.
Helene was downgraded to a “strong” Category 2 hurricane on Friday, hours after it slammed into the southeastern US coast as a Category 4 storm, US forecasters said. 
“Hurricane Helene is now a strong Category 2 hurricane,” the National Weather Service in Florida’s capital Tallahassee posted on X, after the latest National Hurricane Centre bulletin put maximum sustained windspeeds caused by the storm at 110kph (175kph) , downgrading it on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale.
“Helene continues to produce catastrophic winds that are now pushing into southern Georgia,” the hurricane centre said in an update at 1am lcoal time on Friday. “Persons should not leave their shelters and remain in place through the passage of these life-threatening conditions.”
More than a million people were without power and roads were already flooded ahead of what is expected to be one of the largest Gulf of Mexico storms in decades.
The degree of devastation in Florida was not expected to be known until after daybreak.
Helene hit Florida packing sustained winds of around 130mph (209kph). Forecasters warned that the enormous system could create a “nightmare” storm surge and bring dangerous winds and rain across much of the southeastern US.
We’re bringing you the latest updates as Hurricane Helene hits Florida on Friday.