People across five states in the southeast United States have been left stranded, without shelter and awaiting rescue after devastating Hurricane Helene killed at least 63 people and caused massive power outages.
More than 2.6 million customers were still without electricity across 10 states from Florida in the southeast to Indiana in the Midwest as of the wee hours on Sunday, according to tracker poweroutage.us. The National Weather Service said conditions would “continue to improve Sunday” as it warned of possible “long-duration power outages”.
Helene slammed into Florida on Thursday as a Category 4 hurricane and surged north, gradually weakening but leaving a trail of destruction: uprooted trees, downed power lines and homes damaged by mudslides.
The Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) said on Saturday it granted emergency declarations in six states – Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee – “to assist these states with preparation and response efforts in the immediate aftermath of the storm”.
Search and rescue teams completed at least 600 rescues, FEMA said, adding that more than 3,200 of its staff had been deployed.
