11 dead in storm-related accidents across Tampa Bay

Video above: South Tampa residents begin post-storm cleanup after Helene

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – More than 60 people have died across five states as Hurricane Helene's massive rains and strong winds caused devastating flooding and widespread destruction across the southeastern United States, leaving millions without power.

Helene made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region late Thursday as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 140 miles per hour.

NHC is monitoring potential disturbances in the Gulf, following a path similar to Helene's

The strong storm caused a record-breaking storm surge in the Tampa Bay region. According to WFLA Chief Meteorologist Jeff Berardelli, Helene was the highest hurricane surge in Tampa in more than 100 years, with a storm surge of 7 feet.

However, the hurricane's powerful storm and flooding caused several deaths throughout the Tampa Bay region. As of Saturday evening, 11 people had been killed in Helene-related incidents, including two in Tampa.

The first weather-related death occurred Thursday evening after a large road sign collapsed on Interstate 4 near Ybor City, smashing a passing car and killing a 23-year-old passenger.

Then on Friday, a woman “in her late 70s” was found dead in her home after Helene attacked the area, Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said.

On Saturday, Pinellas County officials said nine people were found dead following Helene's death. Eight of the victims who lost their lives in Helene have been identified below.

• Donna Fagersten, 66, of Indian Rocks Beach

• Patricia Mikos, 80, from Dunedin

• Aiden Bowles, 71, of Indian Rocks Beach

• Marjorie Havard, 70, of St. Pete Beach

• Francis Wright, 71, of Madeira Beach

• Jerome Waite, 89, of St. Petersburg

• James Thompson, 55, of Redington Shore

• Rachel Burch, 37, of Treasure Island

Authorities said information about the ninth victim would not be released.

All of those who died were in mandatory evacuation zones, Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said Saturday morning.

Helene's chaos

Helene's chaos didn't subside even after she moved through Florida and Georgia. The storm continued north, inundating the Carolinas and Tennessee with torrential rains that pushed streams and rivers over their banks and strained dams.

Western North Carolina was isolated due to landslides and flooding that forced the closure of Interstate 40 and other roads.

Aftermath of Helene: Photos show devastating storm damage across Tampa Bay

There have been hundreds of water rescues, none more dramatic than in rural Unicoi County in East Tennessee, where dozens of patients and staff were plucked by helicopter from the roof of a hospital on Friday. And rescue operations continued into the next day in Buncombe County, North Carolina, where part of Asheville was under water.

“To say this surprised us would be an understatement,” said Quentin Miller, the county sheriff.

The storm, now a post-tropical cyclone, was expected to hover over the Tennessee Valley Saturday and Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said.

Other states with Helene-related deaths

North Carolina: Six deaths were reported in North Carolina, including a car crash that killed a 4-year-old girl, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol said.

South Carolina: At least 19 people were killed in the Helene destruction, including two firefighters in Saluda County, officials said.

Georgia: At least 17 have died, two of them in a tornado in the Alamo, a spokesman for Gov. Brian Kemp told CNN.

Virginia: Gov. Glenn Youngkin said one person has died in a storm-related incident after a tree fell and a building collapsed in Craig County.

Helene was the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-average season this year due to record-warm ocean temperatures.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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