Updated 05.15 | Published 04.27
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full screen A man paddles in a canoe in Atlanta, Georgia, after the passage of Storm Helene on Friday. Photo: Ron Harris/AP/TT
At least 45 people died in five states as a result of Hurricane Helene advancing across the southeastern United States, reports CNN.
In South Carolina, 19 deaths are linked to the storm, including two firefighters, according to local authorities. In Georgia, 15 deaths are reported, in Florida eight and in North Carolina two. Also in Virigina, one person died when a tree fell on a building.
Hours after Helene made landfall in Florida, the storm was downgraded from a four to a “strong two” — and then to a one — on the five-point hurricane scale, according to the AP.
But the storm nevertheless brought catastrophic wind gusts and widespread flooding.
“It’s disappointing,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said of the hurricane damage.
Helene reached the Florida coast late Thursday local time with winds of over 60 meters per second.
More than three million homes and businesses were still without power in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina late Friday local time.