Hurricane Helene wreaks havoc in US Southeast, at least 60 dead
Cleanup and recovery efforts under way from Florida to Virginia
Damage estimates range from $15 billion to over $100 billion
South Carolina records highest death toll with 24 fatalities
Adds FEMA chief, electricity outages, Florida residents
Sept 29 (Reuters) -Southeastern U.S. states started a massive cleanup and recovery effort on Sunday after winds, rain and storm surges from Hurricane Helene snuffed out power for millions, destroyed roads and bridges and caused catastrophic flooding from Florida to Virginia.
The storm caused at least 60 deaths, according to state and local officials in South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. Officials feared still more bodies would be discovered across several states.
Damage estimates ranged from $15 billion to more than $100 billion, insurers and forecasters said over the weekend. Property damage and lost economic output will become more clear as officials assess the destruction.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator, Deanne Criswell, on Sunday cited significant damage to water systems, communications and critical transportation routes.
The U.S. government has enough resources to cope with the disaster, Criswell said on CBS' "Face the Nation," but the recovery will be difficult.
Bottled water has been sent to affected areas and the Army Corps of Engineers will start assessing damage to water systems on Sunday to help them get back online, she said.
"Recovery can be complicated. These five states are going to have very complicated recoveries," Criswell said.
Roughly 2.7 million customers remained without power on Sunday, a U.S. Energy Department official said, down 40% from Friday after unprecedented storm surges, ferocious winds and perilous conditions extended hundreds of miles inland.
FLORIDA'S GULF COAST HIT
Days of driving rain followed Helene slamming into Florida's Gulf Coast on Thursday night, destroying homes that had stood for decades.
A total of 11 people died in Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis said on Saturday in the Gulf Coast city of Perry, which saw 15-foot storm surges, larger than those seen in hurricanes in recent years.
In Horseshoe Beach, on Florida's Gulf Coast about 70 miles west of Gainesville, Charlene Huggins surveyed the debris of her blown-out house, pulling a jacket out of the rubble on Saturday.
"Five generations lived in this house, from my grandmother, my father, myself, my daughter, son, and my granddaughter," Huggins said, holding a chipped glass cake stand. "So there's a lot of memories here. It just breaks your heart."
Not far away, James Ellenburg stood on the property where his own family has lived for four generations. "I took my first step right here in this yard."
In coastal Steinhatchee, a storm surge - a wall of seawater pushed ashore by winds - of eight to 10 feet (2.4-3 meters) moved mobile homes, the weather service said.
The nearby tiny community of Spring Warrior Fish Camp was surveying the damage Saturday and still waiting for any emergency or first responder aid.
"No one thinks of us back here," said David Hall, as he and his wife dug through the seagrass and dead fish in the office of the hotel they owned. Many of the homes there are built on stilts because of a local ordinance and survived heavy damage.
NORTH CAROLINA FLOODS
Some of the worst rains hit western North Carolina, which saw almost 30 inches (76 cm) fall on Mount Mitchell in Yancey County, the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center reported.
State transportation officials said more than 400 roads remained closed in the state, where the governor reported two deaths on Saturday.
Waters washed over Lake Lure Dam in Rutherford County and people in and around Chimney Rock described the village's downtown as washed out. Images showing inches of mud and sediment, uprooted trees and snapped telephone poles and buildings turned into debris.
Just to the south in eastern Tennessee, Greene County officials worried the Nolichucky Dam was on the brink of failure but the Tennessee Valley Authority reported late Saturday that the dam was stable and secure.
"As we continue to support response and recovery efforts, we will make sure that no resource is spared to ensure communities can quickly begin their road to rebuilding," US President Joe Biden said in a statement on Sunday.
South Carolina recorded the highest death toll, with local authorities counting 24 fatalities so far from Helene, with falling trees contributing to many of them.
Seventeen people, including children, died in Georgia due to Helene, Governor Brian Kemp said after viewing damage in Valdosta.
Reporting by Reporting by Maria Alejandra Cardona and Octavio Jones in Florida, Jonathan Allen in New York, David Ljunggren, Doina Chiacu, Ted Hesson and Heather Timmons in Washington; Editing by Heather Timmons and Nick Zieminski
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
