Death toll rises as Helene unleashes catastrophic flooding across Southeast

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The remnants of Helene continued its onslaught across the Southeast on Friday, with nearly 4 dozen people dead across multiple states and several others trapped in rubble after the storm made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region late Thursday night as a monster Category 4 hurricane with winds of 140 mph.

At least 45 deaths have been reported so far, including 15 in Georgia, eight in Florida, two in North Carolina,19 in South Carolina and one in Virginia.

TRACKING HELENE: LIVE MAPS, POWER OUTAGES, WIND PROJECTIONS AND MORE

In Blackshear, Georgia, a part-time assistant fire chief was killed when a tree fell onto his vehicle while responding to the storm.

“When we ask people to stay off the roads and be patient, it’s because when we are trying to get to people, it is a very dangerous environment and one of our finest has lost his life trying to save others,” Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said Friday. 

Other deaths illustrated the power of hurricanes to kill by a variety of means. Two people in Georgia were killed during a tornado. At least two drowned in Florida. Multiple others were killed when trees fell onto their homes. One was killed on a Florida interstate by a falling highway sign. In North Carolina, a 4-year-old child died in a weather-related car crash.

Kemp warned there are still many who remain in peril. In Valdosta, officials have identified 115 structures heavily damaged by Helene that they know have multiple people trapped inside.

Hurricane Helene damage in Valdosta, Georgia

“(We are) trying to get to multiple structures that we know have individuals inside that we are unable to communicate with,” Kemp said. “We’re going to have to literally cut our way into situations like this.”

FIRST-EVER FLASH FLOOD EMERGENCY ISSUED IN ATLANTA AS HELENE’S FURY PROMPTS WATER RESCUES, RISING DEATH TOLL

Helene made landfall about 10 miles west-southwest of Perry, Florida, at 11:10 p.m. ET Thursday, with wind gusts in Florida and southern Georgia clocked as high as 100 mph. Impacts have been felt across the Southeast and into portions of the mid-Atlantic as the monster storm pushes farther inland.

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Helene’s winds weakened to tropical storm levels as it moved well into Georgia, but its onslaught of torrential rains led to extreme and catastrophic flooding.

Twenty-five Flash Flood Emergencies – the most dire flood alert issued by the NWS – were spread across Georgia, western North Carolina from Asheville to the Charlotte area, and portions of South Carolina and Virginia. That included the first-ever Flash Flood Emergency in Atlanta, where the city broke a 138-year-old record for two-day rainfall at 11.18 inches. The 25 Flash Flood Emergencies issued Friday is the most in a single day across the country.

VIDEOS: HURRICANE HELENE PRODUCES RECORD STORM SURGE ALONG FLORIDA’S GULF COAST

In North Carolina, record rains have flooded the Broad River to levels that have overtopped the Lake Lure Dam, threatening its failure. Officials have issued emergency evacuation orders downstream concerned about deadly flash flooding. As much as as 20 inches of rain could fall in the area by the end of the weekend.

The Asheville Fire Department said on X that a mandatory evacuation of the Swannanoa River Valley was underway because of the flooding. According to a post on X from Haywood County Emergency Services, residents in portions of Waynesville, North Carolina, were told to evacuate because of the potentially deadly situation that’s unfolding.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation warned driver “all roads in Western North Carolina should be considered closed” and part of I-40 was washed out near the Tennessee-North Carolina.

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Hundreds of water rescues take place in Florida, Georgia

Countless emergency crews from Florida to Georgia are responding to those trapped in homes and cars as rivers and streams swell. 

The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office in Florida reports first responders have so far responded to more than 200 water rescue calls and have rescued at least 65 people with additional water rescues ongoing.

FLORIDA POLICE GIVE MORBID ADVICE TO THOSE WHO DIDN’T EVACUATE FOR HELEN’S HISTORIC STORM SURGE

Atlanta Fire Rescue Department has responded to numerous weather-related calls overnight.

Several boats were deployed to transport people and pets to safety, while some residents were forced to wade through deep water to reach rescue crews.

FOX Weather cameras were rolling when several of those rescues were underway, and the video shows a woman with a baby strapped to her chest being led from the water.

WATCH: FOX WEATHER METEOROLOGIST RESCUES WOMAN FROM RUSHING FLOODWATERS IN ATLANTA

FOX Weather Meteorologist Bob Van Dillen found himself in the middle of a harrowing rescue as Helene slammed the Atlanta area. While covering the storm’s aftermath, Van Dillen, a journalist from the area, heard a woman’s desperate cries for help along Peach Tree Creek. She had driven into floodwaters and was trapped in her car before sunrise.

Van Dillen waded into the chest-deep water, battling strong currents to reach the woman. He pulled her to safety, carrying her through the floodwaters to a nearby dry area. 

Over 4 million without power across the Southeast as Helene’s winds batter region

Helene’s combination of 70-100 mph wind gusts with saturated grounds left more than 4 million without power across the Southeast as of Friday afternoon, with Florida, Georgia and South Carolina all reporting over a million customers with outages at one point during the storm.

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In Florida, Helene produced a 99-mph gust in Perry, a 75-mph gust near Jacksonville and a 72-mph gust at Jacksonville International Airport. In neighboring Georgia, a gust reached 100 mph in Alma, while an 88-mph wind gust was reported in Valdosta and a 75-mph gust in Savannah.

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15-foot storm surge submerges Florida’s Big Bend

An aerial view of Treasure Island, Florida, at first light post-Hurricane Helene paints a stark picture of devastation on Friday.

The massive size of Helene combined with its Category 4 strength and forward speed, racing up the Gulf of Mexico at over 20 mph led to a massive storm surge along the Big Bend and Florida’s northern Gulf Coast. 

According to NOAA, preliminary indications show storm surge reached at least 15 feet along the Big Bend region near Keaton Beach, Steinhatchee and Horseshoe Beach. A camera in Cedar Key, Florida, at a height of 6 feet, was swamped by storm surge early Friday morning. Surge levels eventually reached 10 feet.

Hurricane Helene made landfall southeast of Tallahassee, Florida as a Category 4 hurricane on Thursday evening.

Clearwater Beach reported its highest surge since at least the Superstorm of 1993, with a level of nearly 7 feet.

Storm surge even brought floodwaters into Tampa, where gauges near the water showed a surge of more than 6 feet. 

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor reported extensive damage on Davis Islands and other waterfront areas of the city on Friday morning, as Hurricane Helene slammed Florida on Thursday night.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor reported “extensive damage” across the city, including Davis Islands and other waterfront areas. Footage taken from a Tampa Police Department helicopter showed flooded residential roads. 

In Treasure Island, storm surge inundated homes, businesses and infrastructure on the barrier island in Pinellas County.

As the sun rose Friday morning, authorities assessed the damage, as boats, once safely moored in the marina, were deposited on people’s front lawns.