WASHINGTON, 29th September, 2024 (WAM) – At least 63 people have died and millions have been left without power as Hurricane Helene roared through the south-eastern US.
In North Carolina, more than 400 roads remain closed with the mountain town of Asheville largely cut off. Supplies are being airlifted to residents, state governor Roy Cooper said as quoted by BBC.
Officials continued daring rescues with boats, helicopters and large vehicles to help those stranded in floodwaters - including about 50 workers and patients who crowded on the roof of a flooded Tennessee hospital.
It was the most powerful storm on record to hit Florida's Big Bend and moved north into Georgia and the Carolinas after making landfall overnight on Thursday.
Helene, which had been a category four storm, came ashore on Thursday night and remained a hurricane for six hours after it made landfall, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said a storm surge - heightened water levels mostly caused by high winds blowing water towards shore - reached more than 15ft (4.5m) above ground level across parts of the Florida coast.