Catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Helene has claimed at least 33 lives across the southeastern United States, as the storm ravaged communities from Florida to the Carolinas on Friday. Swamped neighborhoods, triggered mudslides, threatened dams, and over 4 million homes and businesses left without power paint a grim picture of the disaster’s aftermath.
Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region as a powerful Category 4 hurricane late Thursday night, packing winds of 225 kilometers per hour. The storm’s ferocity overturned boats in harbors, felled countless trees, submerged cars, and flooded streets, leaving chaos in its wake as it moved northward through Georgia into Tennessee and the Carolinas.
By early Friday afternoon, Helene had been downgraded to a tropical depression with maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center. However, the threat was far from over. Heavy rains continued to unleash catastrophic flooding, prompting thousands of water rescues by police and firefighters across the affected states.
In Tennessee, the situation grew dire as fears of dam failures escalated. In the city of Newport, officials ordered the evacuation of the downtown area after concerns that the nearby Walters dam had suffered a “catastrophic failure.” Rob Mathis, mayor of Cocke County, urged residents to leave immediately. However, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency later clarified that the dam, located just across the state line in North Carolina, had not failed, citing information from Duke Energy, the dam’s operator.
Madison McDonald, a spokesperson for Duke Energy, stated, “We are aware of the situation and we’re sorting out the facts.”
Elsewhere in Tennessee, more than 50 people were stranded on the roof of a hospital in Unicoi County, about 190 kilometers northeast of Knoxville. Floodwaters from the swollen Nolichucky River cut off access, preventing ambulances and emergency vehicles from reaching patients. Emergency crews used boats and helicopters to rescue those trapped, and state officials later confirmed everyone was brought to safety.
In neighboring North Carolina, emergency officials in Rutherford County issued an urgent evacuation order for residents near the Lake Lure Dam, warning that “Dam failure imminent.” Further west in Buncombe County, landslides forced the closure of interstates 40 and 26, adding to the region’s paralysis. The county shared updates on social media platform X, keeping residents informed amid the unfolding crisis.
Despite the storm’s weakening, Helene’s impact continues to be felt across the southeastern U.S., with communities grappling with the devastation left behind. Emergency services remain on high alert as the threat of flooding and infrastructure failures persists.
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At least 33 dead as Helene cuts path through southeastern U.S.
cgtn.com
