In South Carolina at least 14 people have died, including two firefighters, officials said. Four of the fatalities were related to “trees falling through the roof of the homes,” said Darryl Ables, the coroner in Aiken County.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp reported 11 killed in his state, including an emergency responder, and he warned that the city of Valdosta had identified 115 heavily damaged structures with multiple people trapped inside.
Florida’s toll stood at seven. Governor Ron DeSantis said the damage from Helene exceeded that of hurricanes Idalia and Debby, which both hit the same Big Bend region southeast of Tallahassee in the last 13 months.
“It’s a real gut-punch to those communities,” DeSantis told Fox News.
In Perry, near where Helene slammed ashore bearing winds of 225kmh, houses lost power and the gas station was flattened.
“I am Floridian, so I’m kind of used to it, but it was real scary at one point,” said Larry Bailey, 32, who sheltered in his small wooden home all night with his two nephews and sister.
“It’s like, was my house gonna get blown away or not?”
About 650km to the north in the Tennessee town of Erwin, a dramatic rescue operation was unfolding as raging floodwaters left a hospital dangerously isolated and more than 50 patients and staff trapped on the roof, according to local television footage.
