Drone footage shows flooding from Helene in Atlanta
NBC News
Drone footage shows flooding overtaking houses, roads and cars in Atlanta from Helene.
Helene is now a tropical depression, catastrophic flooding still likely
Marlene Lenthang
Helene, now a tropical depression, is located 125 miles southeast of Louisville, Kentucky, with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph, moving northwest at 28 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center's 2 p.m. ET advisory.
All tropical storm warnings have been discontinued and there are now no coastal watches or warnings in effect.
It’s forecast to slowdown and will stall over the Tennessee Valley through the weekend.
Helene will still produce more rainfall for the Central and Southern Appalachians, resulting in “catastrophic and potentially life-threatening flash and urban flooding.” Tornadoes are possible today across eastern South Carolina, central and eastern North Carolina and southern Virginia.
Damage from Helene worse than hurricanes Idalia and Debby combined, DeSantis says
Minyvonne Burke
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Helene's powerful winds caused damage to buildings that survived Hurricane Idalia last year and Hurricane Debby earlier this year.
"Areas that were hit in Idalia and Debby said that this was more extensive than both combined," he said at an afternoon news conference. "So I think you’re gonna see buildings that survived those two storms didn’t make this storm."
Helene, which made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region as a Category 4, caused widespread power outages, leaving millions in the dark. The governor said since the storm began there have been over 1.4 million power restorations statewide. About a million remain without power.
One of the hardest hit areas was Pinellas County. MelissaSeixas, Duke Energy’s state president in Florida, said that power outages are affecting a little over 200,000 customers in the county.
At least seven deaths have been blamed on the storm in Florida, DeSantis said.
'Worst I've ever seen': Helene's wrath leaves Steinhatchee resident in disbelief
Kathy Park
Reporting from Steinhatchee, Florida
Hurricane Helene left Steinhatchee resident Susie Grant in disbelief after returning to her flooded home Friday.
“I was in shock. This is the worst I’ve ever seen here,” Grant told NBC News, surveying damage to the home she’s lived in for 45 years. “I’m glad I left, but I’m glad I still have a house.”
She said her residence, built from the ground up by herself and her late husband, took six years to construct.
“Well, it’s got mud and all that, and everything’s been floating around, and it’s probably about 18 inches (of rain) in the house,” Grant said.
This is the second time she’s dealt with the aftermath of a hurricane.
In December, the bar she’s worked at for the past decade re-opened after being toppled by Hurricane Idalia, a Category 4 hurricane which struck the southeast and north Florida in August.
While happy to be back home, Grant said she has plenty of work to do.
“I’m gonna rebuild. That’s all I can do. I own this property here,” she said. “I can’t go anywhere else. I don’t have money to rebuild. And I love it here, too.”
Kathy Park reported from Steinhatchee, Florida, and Deon Hampton reported from Denver, Colorado.
Water crests at North Carolina dam, supports compromised as evacuations continue
Marlene Lenthang
Lake Lure Dam in Rutherford County, North Carolina, is currently holding even as water is cresting the dam, flowing around the side walls and structural supports have been compromised, the county’s emergency management office said in an update.
“Evacuations have occurred from the Dam to Island Creek Road. Evacuation sirens are sounding downstream of the dam,” the office said.
Emergency personnel are going house to house to ensure all citizens have been evacuated. Emergency shelter is available at R-S Central High School.
More than 50 people stranded on roof of Tennessee hospital
Daniel Arkin
Cat Corrigan
Daniel Arkin and Cat Corrigan
Helene inundated Unicoi County Hospital in Erwin, Tennessee, leaving more than 50 patients and staff members trapped on the roof amid rising floodwaters.
Alora Oler-Wyatt, the 911 director of Unicoi County, confirmed to NBC News that between 58 and 62 people were stranded on the roof as of 2 p.m. ET. The floodwaters were about 10 feet from the rooftop, she said.
The severe flooding in the area made it impossible for cars to pass on roads and swallowed up police cruisers and ambulances.
The National Guard and FEMA were responding; Tennessee Highway Patrol was sending a chopper.
Helene’s devastation stretches from Florida into the Carolinas
NBC News
Hurricane Helene left a trail of destruction from Florida’s gulf coast into the mountains of North Carolina after coming ashore as a Category 4 storm. More than a dozen deaths have been confirmed and millions were left without electricity.
Over 2 dozen rescues conducted overnight in Tampa area
Marissa Parra
Reporting from Tampa, Florida
NBC News’ Melissa Parra joined the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office’s water rescue team in an amphibious vehicle in Tampa today.
Corporal Matthew Harper said at least two dozen people were rescued overnight, in some cases the locals clambered to their rooftops to avoid the rising storm surge. One of the rescued was a 97-year-old bedridden woman who they were able to help get safely to an ambulance and on to the hospital.
Hillsborough County lifted its evacuation order today, noting 1,574 evacuees took cover in six shelters in the county during Helene.
Flash flood emergency in effect for Atlanta
NBC News
Tropical Storm Helene is pummeling Georgia after slamming Florida as a Category 4 Hurricane. NBC News’ Priya Sridhar is on the ground in Atlanta reporting on the latest storm damage. American Red Cross national spokesperson Evan Peterson joins José Díaz-Balart to discuss their recovery efforts.
Car crash during heavy rains in North Carolina kills 1 child, injures others
Elizabeth Chuck
Two families' lives intersected in tragic circumstances yesterday when their cars crashed into each other on a rainy North Carolina road, killing one child and seriously injuring other children.
The fatal collision happened just after 8 a.m. ET in Catawba County when one vehicle crossed the centerline and collided head-on with the other, according to a statement from the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. The statement said the crash happened during "heavy rain conditions" and that it claimed the life of a 4-year-old passenger.
Three other children who were in the cars were hospitalized: A 12-year-old with life-threatening injuries, a 2-year-old with life-threatening injuries and a 4-year-old with non-life-threatening injuries.
The drivers of both cars, Lyndsey Nicole Gaddis, of Catawba, and Tiffany Miner Sipe, 34, of Claremont, were also transported to the hospital, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. The statement said that the initial investigation indicates impairment was not a contributing factor in the collision but that charges were possible after the investigation is complete.
Catawba County is about an hour northwest of Charlotte, North Carolina. County officials said this morning that they had received multiple reports of downed trees, power lines, power outages and standing waterfrom the storm throughout the area.
11 fatalities confirmed in Georgia
Marlene Lenthang
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said in a press conference that there are 11 confirmed fatalities in the state, and one of them was a first responder.
"One of our finest has lost his life trying to save others," Kemp said in a storm briefing.
He said there are still people trapped and rescues are still underway.
President Biden approves emergency declarations
Deon J. Hampton
President Joe Biden on Friday morning approved emergency declaration requests from the governors of several southern states affected by Helene.
Georgia, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina will receive a variety of federal assistance from the government after the storm made landfall as highly destructive Category 4 hurricane.
Biden has also ordered more than 1,500 federal personnel to be deployed to the region, including search and rescue teams, medical teams and power restoration teams.
The president added he is praying for everyone affected by the storm, including those who lost their lives and the survivors who remain in harm’s way.
Federal Emergency Management Administrator Deanne Criswell briefed Biden on the initial impacts of Helene on Friday morning. Criswell will travel to Florida to survey the damage and meet with state and local officials.
Helene produced 15-foot storm surge in Big Bend region of Florida
Minyvonne Burke
Water levels reached more than 15 feet above ground in areas within the Big Bend region of Florida, according to preliminary storm surge information following Helene's landfall.
There will be a more detailed analysis of the storm surge in the coming weeks, the Storm Surge Unit at the National Hurricane Center said in a post on X.
Water rescues underway in Atlanta
Marlene Lenthang
Atlanta Fire and Rescueshared video showing first responders conducting water rescues in communities overrun with muddy flood waters.
There are flash flood warnings in a slew of Georgia counties including Fulton County, which covers Atlanta, as well as Clayton, Dekalb, Cobb, and Gwinnett counties. The Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agencyis recommending locals avoid travel as “several rescues are still occurring” and “numerous roadways are closed due to flooding, trees, and wires down.”
5 deaths reported in Pinellas County, Florida
Minyvonne Burke
Anthony Cusumano
Minyvonne Burke and Anthony Cusumano
Five deaths were reported overnight in Pinellas County, Florida, officials said.
"It’s hard, but we will continue to recover as a community, and we will do everything in our power to continue restoration efforts for our residents," county emergency management director Cathie Perkins said at a news conference. "It’s going to take a while for Pinellas County to look like it did three days ago."
The sheriff's office said two of the deaths appear to be due to drowning.
Helene unleashing ‘historic and catastrophic’ flooding over Southeast
Marlene Lenthang
Helene, which was downgraded to a tropical storm, is located 30 miles southwest of Bryson City, North Carolina, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph. It’s moving north at 32 mph, the National Hurricane Center said in an 11 a.m. advisory.
Flash flood emergencies are in effect for the metro Atlanta area and much of upstate South Carolina and western North Carolina.
The tropical storm warning for the Georgia coast has been discontinued and all storm surge warnings have been discontinued. However, a tropical storm warning is in effect for the Savannah River northward to the Little River inlet.
Helene is forecast to slow down in forward speed soon and stall over the Tennessee Valley tonight and through the weekend.
Water levels are expected to recede along the Florida Gulf Coast and portions of the southeast U.S. coast today. Tropical storm conditions are unfolding along much of the South Carolina coast, and will continue for several hours. Helene is forecast produce 3 to 6 inches of rain, for total rain accumulations of 6 to 12 inches, for portions of the Central and Southern Appalachians.
Photo: Dramatic helicopter rescue of man and dog off Florida coast
Matthew Nighswander
A man and his dog are rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard after his sailboat became disabled yesterday during Hurricane Helene approximately 25 miles off Sanibel Island, Fla.
2 storm deaths reported in South Carolina
Marlene Lenthang
Two deaths were reported out of Anderson County, South Carolina, as Helene battered the state, both involving trees falling on homes.
The Anderson County Coroner's Office responded to a death reported around 8:30 a.m. this morning on West Whitner Street in Anderson, and a second report around 10:15 a.m. on Williams Road off of Whiten Road in Anderson, coroner's office spokesperson Alyssa H. Whitfield said.
Water overtops dam in North Carolina, sparking evacuations
Minyvonne Burke
North Carolina residents who live below the Lake Lure Dam in Rutherford County were told to evacuate to higher ground immediately because water is overtopping the dam.
A shelter has been set up at the Rutherfordton Presbyterian Church, the Rutherford County Emergency Management said in a Facebook post.
WATCH: Rescues captured on camera during Helene flooding
NBC News
First responders conducted dozens of high-water rescues in areas hit by flash flooding triggered by Hurricane Helene.
Over 4 million without power
Marlene Lenthang
Over 4 million are without power now across the Southeast.
In South Carolina there are 1.3million customers without power, over 1 million out in Florida and Georgia, over 640,000 out in North Carolina and over 66,000 out in Tennessee, according to PowerOutage.US numbers as of 10 a.m.
What's next for Helene?
Kathryn Prociv
This morning Helene is a tropical storm located 80 miles northeast of Atlanta moving north at 30 mph with 60 mph winds.
Today it’ll bring significant impacts to parts of the Southeast, Ohio Valley and Tennessee Valley with 42 million people under flood alerts. Life-threatening flash flooding will continue today especially in the Atlanta metro area, western North Carolina into the Virginia mountains and western/middle Tennessee.
Twelve million people are at risk for tropical tornadoes across the eastern Carolinas and southern Virginia including the cities of Charleston, Wilmington, Charlotte, Raleigh and Norfolk.
Destructive winds will also continue to cause power outages and crippling air delays at airports like Atlanta and Charlotte.
Florida storm death toll rises to 2
Marlene Lenthang
Carla Kakouris-Solarana
Marlene Lenthang and Carla Kakouris-Solarana
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told a news conference this morning that a person died in in Dixie County after a tree that fell on a home as Helene lashed the state.
That brings the Florida storm death toll to two and the overall Helene death toll to at least six, according to a count by NBC News.
The other Florida fatality was reported last night after a sign fell onto a car.Three deaths have been reported thus far in Georgia and one in North Carolina.
Tropical storm warnings for some areas discontinued, Helene still producing damaging winds, life-threatening flooding
Minyvonne Burke
Helene is producing damaging gusty winds and life-threatening flooding over portions of the southeast and southern Appalachians, the National Hurricane Center said in its 8 a.m. update.
The storm is located about 80 miles from Atlanta and 35 miles from Clemson, South Carolina. It has maximum sustained winds of 60 mph and is moving 30 mph.
A tropical storm warning was discontinued for the Florida Gulf Coast area to the Suwannee River to Indian Pass, the agency said. A tropical storm warning for the east coast of Florida to southeastern Georgia was also discontinued.
Helene was the strongest hurricane to ever strike Big Bend
Kathryn Prociv
Helene was the strongest hurricane to ever strike Florida’s Big Bend as it was the first Category 4 storm to do so.
Helene brought massive devastation: The Florida coast from Tampa to Cedar Key experienced record storm surge of 6 to 9.5 feet last night. Some places set storm surge records including Cedar Key, Clearwater Beach, St. Petersburg and Old Port Tampa.
Rainfall highs include 15.5 inches recorded in Sumatra, Florida, 13.74 inches in Busick, North Carolina, and 11.12 inches in Salem, South Carolina.
Wind gusts as fierce as 99 mph were clocked in Perry, Florida, 85 mph in Cedar Key, and 83 mph in Augusta, Georgia.
Perry police chief: 'We weren't aggressive enough with evacuations'
Marlene Lenthang
Jamie Cruse, the police chief of Perry in Florida’s Big Bend, said his only regret in Helene is "we weren’t aggressive enough in the notification to tell people to evacuate the areas that were prone to flooding."
"I just hope that when we finally discover what we’re dealing with that we don’t have a big loss of life," Cruse said on NBC News Now this morning.
"Right now the sun is starting to rise, we’re starting to get the first glimpse of what we actually have laying on the ground and what we’re going to be dealing with. We have helpers everywhere now doing the first push through to try to see what we need to do to clear these roads to get assets and resources in here that we desperately need to serve our communities," Cruse explained.
Perry is in Taylor County, where the sheriff had issued a grim request for those who ignored evacuation orders to mark themselves with their names and information so they could be easily identified in the worst-case scenario.
Cruse said initial reports show that at least 15 foot surge inundated the coastal areas outside Perry, where there are single-story homes on stilts.
He's urging locals to not despair, instead allow police and local officials to do their jobs.
Flash flood warnings issued for Atlanta area
Minyvonne Burke
A flash flood emergency was issued for the Atlanta area this morning due to thunderstorms that are expected to produce heavy rain. Between 2 to 4 inches has already fallen with an additional 1 to 2 inches expected.
"Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly," the National Weather Service in Peachtree City said in an update.
The warnings are in the following counties: Northern Cherokee, Northwestern Dawson, Southwestern Gilmer, Pickens, Catoosa, Northeastern Gordon, Murray, Northeastern Walker, and Whitfield.
First daylight pictures show heavy flooding amid rescues in Steinhatchee, Florida
Will Clark
Floodwaters are seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene near Steinhatchee, Florida on Friday, a day after the storm made landfall.
Clearwater Mayor: 'We believe the damage is devastating'
Marlene Lenthang
Bruce Rector, the mayor of Clearwater, on Florida's Gulf Coast, has yet to establish the full extent of the damage from Helene, but he fears the worst.
He told NBC's "TODAY" show: “When the sun comes up this morning we’ll see what the damage is, but we believe it’s devastating.”
Overnight, the Clearwater Fire & Rescue Department had shared videos of first responders rescuing elderly locals in knee-deep flood water.
“The pictures I saw, the I videos saw last night were just devastating along Clearwater Beach, along all of our beaches here in Tampa Bay. I know from our fire and police that we had some homes burn to the ground out on the island, there were some folks that we just couldn’t get to because of high waters to rescue,” Rector explained.
He said some people just didn't want to evacuate.
“Last night it was a historic storm surge. We saw things out there in the flooding that people who have lived out there their entire lives have never seen. We did our best and it breaks the heart of our first responders when they can’t get through high water to rescue folks,” he said. “As far as I know they got to everyone eventually who needed to be rescued but we’ll find out today when we go out and assess the damage.”
Power outages rise to 3.5 million, affecting Virginia and Tennessee
Patrick SmithPatrick Smith is a London-based editor and reporter for NBC News Digital.
The devastation to energy infrastructure in the southeastern U.S. is becoming clear this morning, with more than 3.5 million energy customers without power as of 8 a.m. ET, according to PowerOutage.us.
More than 1 million customers are in the dark in each state of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, as well as more than 400,000 in North Carolina.
The effects are also being felt in Tennessee, where 13,000 customers are out of power and as far north as Virginia, where the figure is currently 27,000.
3 dead in Georgia after Hurricane Helene makes landfall
Priya Sridhar
Reporting from ATLANTA, Georgia
At least three people have been confirmed dead in Georgia as a result of Hurricane Helene. Meanwhile, about 1 million people are without power and remain under a flash flood emergency. NBC’s Priya Sridhar reports for TODAY from Atlanta, Georgia.
1 dies, another injured after tree falls on N.C. house
Marlene Lenthang
Carla Kakouris-Solarana
Marlene Lenthang and Carla Kakouris-Solarana
A person died and another was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after a tree fell on a home in Charlotte, North Carolina, around 5 a.m. this morning, officials said.
Officials believe the tree blew over due to Helene’s wind and rain, Mecklenburg EMS Agency PIO Grace Nelson said. No details regarding the victims were released.
That brings Helene’s storm-related deaths to five after one death was reported in Florida and three in Georgia.
Flash flood warnings in Georgia and the Carolinas
Marlene Lenthang
Extended flash flood warnings are in place in for swaths of Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina today as Helene dumps heavy rain that has flooded roads, buildings and prompted evacuations.
A flash flood warning for Habersham County and Rabin County in northeastern Georgia was extended through 11 a.m. ET. This morning doppler radar indicated 3 to 7 inches of rain has fallen in those counties with the rate at 1 to 1.5 inches an hour, the National Weather Service in Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina, wrote in its morning advisory. As a result “significant flooding appears likely.”
A flash flood warning was also issued for Jackson County and Transylvania County in western North Carolina through 3:15 p.m. p.m. ET due to widespread catastrophic flooding across these counties.”
"Numerous roadways are flooded and impassable, and hundreds of trees are down across the area amid completely saturated ground.Many water rescues are ongoing.In Jackson County, evacuations of low-lying areas arealready underway,” the weather service said.
In South Carolina, a flash flood warning was extended for Oconee County and Pickens County upstate through 4:30 p.m. ET Friday as hundreds of down trees reportedly prevent rescue operations and as 5 to 8 inches of rain has already fallen.
“This is a particularly dangerous situation. Seek higher ground now!” The weather service warned. Warnings were also extended for Abbeville County, Greenwood County and Laurens County through 10 a.m.
WATCH: Hurricane Helene viewed from the International Space Station
NBC News
Hurricane Helene's size was clearly seen from the International Space Station about nine hours before the storm made landfall in Florida.
Streets of Florida city turned to rivers as rescues continue
Patrick SmithPatrick Smith is a London-based editor and reporter for NBC News Digital.
The city of South Pasadena, Florida, is largely under water, according to video posted to Facebook by authorities attempting ongoing rescue efforts by boat this morning.
West of St Petersburg, South Pasadena is under a mandatory evacuation order.
3 million energy customers will wake up without power
Patrick SmithPatrick Smith is a London-based editor and reporter for NBC News Digital.
Some 3 million energy customers will wake up without power this morning in the wake of Tropical Storm Helene.
The number passed 3 million just before 7 a.m. ET, according to PowerOutage.us and FindEnergy.com, including 1.2 million in Florida alone.
That includes 914,000 in Georgia, 723,000 in South Carolina and 252,000 in North Carolina.
Doorbell camera captures Hurricane Helene’s storm surge in Cedar Key
NBC News
A resident of Cedar Key, Florida, shared doorbell camera video of Hurricane Helene’s storm surge sweeping past their driveway, moments before the camera was submerged by floodwater.
Firefighter killed by falling tree in Georgia, coroner confirms
Patrick SmithPatrick Smith is a London-based editor and reporter for NBC News Digital.
A firefighter has been killed by a tree falling onto their car in Pierce County, Georgia, the local coroner confirmed this morning.
Details are scant and the coroner's investigation is still ongoing but NBC affiliate WTLV of Jacksonville reported that Pierce County Fire Department had also confirmed the death, which happened in the city of Blackshear, about 55 miles west of Brunswick.
The department also told WTLV that it is currently sheltering from the storm.
Strong waves batter downtown Charleston as Helene moves north
Patrick SmithPatrick Smith is a London-based editor and reporter for NBC News Digital.
The effects of Tropical Storm Helene are being felt in South Carolina as waves crash over the sea wall and onto nearby buildings in downtown Charleston. The city and surrounding coastline are covered by a tropical storm warning.
Some hurricane and tropical storm warnings lifted in Florida — but storm surge risk remains
Patrick SmithPatrick Smith is a London-based editor and reporter for NBC News Digital.
Various hurricane and tropical storm warnings across Florida have been lifted or downgraded as Helene makes it way north across Georgia, the National Hurricane said in its 5 a.m. ET update, which reclassified Helene as a tropical storm.
- Hurricane and tropical storm warnings were discontinued along Florida's east coast south of the Flagler-Volusia County line, the National Hurricane Center said in a 5 a.m. update.
- A hurricane warning across the northern Florida coast, from the mouth of the Suwannee River to Mexico Beach, has been downgraded to a tropical storm warning.
- A tropical storm warning covering the Florida Gulf coast west of Indian Pass has ended.
- A storm surge warning for the Florida coast west of Indian Pass and south of Bonita Beach has also ended.
- A storm surge warning is however still in effect for Indian Pass to Bonita Beach, and Tampa Bay.
More than 2 million without power across south-eastern U.S.
Patrick SmithPatrick Smith is a London-based editor and reporter for NBC News Digital.
The sheer extent of the damage caused by Hurricane Helene won't become clear until the sun comes up, but already the affected region's power network is in tatters, with 2 million in the dark.
In Florida, 1.2 million people are without power, as well as 683,000 in Georgia and 242,000 in South Carolina, according to PowerOutage.us.
Helene hit last night as a Category 4 storm, the second strongest possible rating on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The National Hurricane Center's guide to hurricane strength says that power infrastructure could be damaged for weeks or even months in the event of such a storm.
‘Life-threatening situation’ as Helene moves through Georgia
Patrick SmithPatrick Smith is a London-based editor and reporter for NBC News Digital.
People in Georgia should continue to shelter from Hurricane Helene and stay away from windows during what the National Hurricane Center this morning called a “dangerous and life-threatening situation.”
The NHC said in a 4 a.m. ET update that the storm was moving rapidly inland through the state, bringing winds of up to 77 mph and heavy rain.
Tallahassee avoids the worst of Hurricane Helene as the storm weakens
Jay Gray
Reporting from TALLAHASSEE, Florida
Hurricane Helene has eased to a Category 1 storm, but still poses a huge threat across 12 states. NBC News’ Jay Gray reports from Tallahassee, Florida, where residents dodged a direct hit.