PERRY, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Helene left an enormous path of destruction across Florida and the southeastern U.S. on Friday, killing at least 40 people in four states, snapping towering oaks like twigs and tearing apart homes as rescue crews launched desperate missions to save people from floodwaters.
The Category 4 hurricane knocked out power to some hospitals in southern Georgia, and Gov. Brian Kemp said authorities had to use chainsaws to clear debris and open up roads. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (225 kph) when it made landfall late Thursday in a sparsely populated region in Florida’s rural Big Bend area, home to fishing villages and vacation hideaways where the state's panhandle and peninsula meet.
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Chris Elder carries sections of a fallen tree as neighbor, Mike Cioffoletti works a chain saw to cut down a large tree that fell over Sandy Cove Drive, after Hurricane Helene passed the area Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 in Morganton, N.C. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek)
Torrential rain from Hurricane Helene has caused lake levels to rise on Lake James, resulting in flooded docks and gazebos, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 in Morganton, N.C. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek)
Destruction to the Faraway Inn Cottages and Motel is seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in Cedar Key, Fla., Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Destruction to the Faraway Inn Cottages and Motel is seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in Cedar Key, Fla., Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Stephen Smith)
Leslie Sturmer, a University of Florida employee, and John Rittenhouse, general manager of the Cedar Key Water and Sewer District, both residents, talk in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in Cedar Key, Fla., Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
This photo provided by U.S. Coast Guard District Seven (USCGSoutheast) shows a man and his dog being rescued after his sailboat became disabled during Hurricane Helene approximately 25 miles off Sanibel Island, Fla., on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (U.S. Coast Guard District Seven via AP)
Jill Rice looks over the damage to her store caused by flooding from Hurricane Helene on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Gulfport, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
Dustin Holmes, rear left, his girlfriend Hailey Morgan, and her children Aria Skye Hall, 7, right, and Kyle Ross, 4, walk through a flooded road while returning to their home after Hurricane Helene passed near the area, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Crystal River, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
A dog wades through floodwaters near collapsed homes in Dekle Beach on the coast of rural Taylor County, Fla., Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Kate Payne)
MJ Hodges, left, and her mother Jill Rice look at the damage caused to their store from the floodwaters of Hurricane Helene on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Gulfport, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
Officer Nate Martir, left, Capt. BJ Johnston and Lieutenant Kevin Kleis, law enforcement officers from the Florida Fish Wildlife and Conservation Commission drive past destruction in a high water capable swamp buggy, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in Cedar Key, Fla., Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
A tree rests on an adandoned car on Interstate 20 in the aftermath of Hurrican Helene Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, Grovetown, Ga. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
Faith Cotto comforts her mother Nancy as they look at the remains of their home which burned during the flooding from Hurricane Helene in the Shore Acres neighborhood Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
Officer Nate Martir, a law enforcement officer from the Florida Fish Wildlife and Conservation Commission, holds an American flag that was lying on the ground amid debris, while patrolling from a high water capable swamp buggy, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in Cedar Key, Fla., Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Max Ceratti, 19, lifts up the garage door to examine the damage done to his car from Hurricane Helene at his home around the Sunset Park neighborhood on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
The business Chez What is seen after of Hurricane Helene moved through the area Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Valdosta, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Law enforcement officers from the Florida Fish Wildlife and Conservation Commission drive past destruction in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in Cedar Key, Fla., Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Thomas Chaves, left, and Vinny Almeida walk through floodwaters from Hurricane Helene in an attempt to reach Chaves's mother's house in the Shore Acres neighborhood Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
This photo provided by Venice Police Department rescue crews assist residents after conducting door-to-door wellness checks, in coastal areas that were flooded by Hurricane Helene on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 in Venice, Fla . (Venice Police Department via AP)
This photo provided by Venice Police Department rescue crews assist residents after conducting door-to-door wellness checks, in coastal areas that were flooded by Hurricane Helene on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 in Venice, Fla . (Venice Police Department via AP)
Capt. BJ Johnston, a law enforcement officer from the Florida Fish Wildlife and Conservation Commission surveys destruction from a high water buggy in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in Cedar Key, Fla., Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
A damaged 100-year-old home is seen after an Oak tree landed on it after Hurricane Helene moved through the area, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Valdosta, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Workers remove debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in Cedar Key, Fla., Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Bradley Tennant looks through his house flooded with water from Hurricane Helene in the Shore Acres neighborhood Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
A woman walks with her dog through floodwaters from Hurricane Helene in the Shore Acres neighborhood Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
Floodwaters surround a structure Friday, Sept 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)
A vehicle is submerged outside a home near Peachtree Creek in Atlanta Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)
Workers clear debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in Cedar Key, Fla., Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Workers remove debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in Cedar Key, Fla., Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Halle Brooks kayaks down a street flooded by Hurricane Helene in the Shore Acres neighborhood Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
This photo provided by U.S. Coast Guard District Seven (USCGSoutheast) shows a man and his dog being rescued after his sailboat became disabled during Hurricane Helene approximately 25 miles off Sanibel Island, Fla., on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (U.S. Coast Guard District Seven via AP)
An American flag sits in the floodwaters from Hurricane Helene in the Shore Acres neighborhood Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
Thomas Chaves, left, and Vinny Almeida walk through floodwaters from Hurricane Helene in an attempt to reach Chaves's mother's house in the Shore Acres neighborhood Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
Staff of the Inn On The Gulf clean up after their restaurant flooded with surge from Hurricane Helene Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Hudson, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
A boat rests on a street after being relocated during flooding caused by Hurricane Helene Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Hudson, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
Union Cathederal church is seen after of Hurricane Helene moved through the area on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Valdosta, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
A damaged 100-year-old home is seen after an Oak tree landed on the home after Hurricane Helene moved through the area, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Valdosta, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
A man walks out of a street with water flooded from Hurricane Helene Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in New Port Richey, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
Staff of the Inn On The Gulf clean up after their restaurant flooded with surge from Hurricane Helene Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Hudson, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
An airboat transports residents rescued from floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 in Crystal River, Fla. (Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
People and pets are rescued from flooded neighborhoods in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 in Crystal River, Fla. (Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Clarissa Lucky gives a tour of her home that flooded from Hurricane Helene near DeSoto Park, Fla., on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Tampa. (Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Andrew Lucky, 54, speaks about the water damage to his house caused by a flood from Hurricane Helene near DeSoto Park, Fla., on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Tampa. (Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
A Citrus County Firefigher carries 11-year- old, Michael Cribbins, while conducting rescues from floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 in Crystal River, Fla. (Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Jamir Lewis wades through floodwaters with his two daughters, Nylah and Aria, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 in Crystal River, Fla. (Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
A woman looks at her dogs sitting on a sofa, as she stands inside her home that was flooded in the passing of Hurricane Helene, in Batabano, Mayabeque province, Cuba, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
A man floats in a container on a street flooded by the passing of Hurricane Helene, in Batabano, Mayabeque province, Cuba, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Residents wade through a street flooded in the passing of Hurricane Helene, in Batabano, Mayabeque province, Cuba, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Vehicles move slowly around trees that have fallen after Hurricane Helene moved through the area, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Valdosta, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Vehicles move slowly around trees that have fallen after of Hurricane Helene moved through the area, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Valdosta, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
A damaged 100-year-old home is seen after an Oak tree landed on it after Hurricane Helene moved through the area Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Valdosta, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
A person looks over a flooded street due to Hurricane Helene late Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024 in New Port Richey, Fla. (Danielle Molisee via AP)
Ronda Bell looks on after an Oak tree landed on her 100-year-old home after Hurricane Helene moved through, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Valdosta, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Flooded streets after the Hurricane Helene are seen in Madeira Beach, Fla.,Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (Max Chesnes/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Sharonda and Victor Davis, of Tallahassee, sit with their children Victoria background left, and Amaya, background right, inside a hurricane evacuation shelter at Fairview Middle School, ahead of Hurricane Helene, expected to make landfall here today, in Leon County, Fla., Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Katoria Harvey, of Tallahassee, sits with her niece Ny'Year Harvey, 3 months, inside a hurricane evacuation shelter at Fairview Middle School, ahead of Hurricane Helene, expected to make landfall here today, in Leon County, Fla., Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Surfers take advantage of heavy winds along Higgs Beach in Key West, Florida, on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. Despite passing the Florida Keys by hundreds of miles, sustained winds over 40 mph churned up the usually calm, nearshore waters. (Rob O'Neal/The Key West Citizen via AP)
Mary Tanner Jerome Tanner, of Tallahassee, sit inside an evacuation shelter ahead of Hurricane Helene, expected to make landfall here today, in Leon County, Fla., Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Louis Ward, 57, rides his bike along the the Gulfport waterfront as it takes on water as Hurricane Helene makes its way toward the Florida Panhandle, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024 in Gulfport. (Martha Asencio-Rhine/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Jose Gonzales and his son Jadin Gonzales, 14, fill sand bags ahead of Hurricane Helene, expected to make landfall Thursday evening, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, in Clyattville, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Bobby Joe Edwards, Sr., and his wife Lillie Edwards, of Walkalla, Fla., and their grandson Tavarrious Dixon, right, rest inside a hurricane evacuation shelter at Fairview Middle School, ahead of Hurricane Helene, expected to make landfall here today, in Leon County, Fla., Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Guests at the Magic Kingdom break out ponchos at Cinderella Castle as bands of weather from Hurricane Helene move through Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Fla., Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. All four of Disney's Florida theme parks remained open Thursday as the storm passed to the west in the Gulf of Mexico. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)
Camryn Frick, left, and Jillian Sternick, both 22, and of Tampa, hold hands as they cross a flooded street together along Bayshore Boulevard on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
A Sam's Club employee wraps wraps fuel pumps ahead of Hurricane Helene, expected to make landfall Thursday evening, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, in Valdosta, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Charles Starling, a lineman with Team Fishel, is pelted with rain as he walks by a row of electrical line trucks stage in a field in The Villages, Fla., Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, in preparation for damage from Hurricane Helene. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel via AP)
The St. Pete Pier is pictured among high winds and waves as Hurricane Helene makes its way toward the Florida panhandle, passing west of Tampa Bay, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024 in St. Petersburg, Fla. (Martha Asencio-Rhine/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
This GOES-16 GeoColor satellite image taken at 5:46 p.m. EDT and provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Hurricane Helene in the Gulf of Mexico moving towards Florida, Thursday, Sept. 26 2024. (NOAA via AP)
Vera Kelly, of Tallahassee, lies on a cot after evacuating to a hurricane shelter with her grandchildren and great grandchildren, at Fairview Middle School, ahead of Hurricane Helene, expected to make landfall here today, in Leon County, Fla., Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Moody’s Analytics said it expects $15 billion to $26 billion in property damage.
The wreckage extended hundreds of miles northward to northeast Tennessee, where a “ dangerous rescue situation ” by helicopter unfolded after 54 people were moved to the roof of the Unicoi County Hospital as water rapidly flooded the facility. Everyone was rescued and no one was left at the hospital as of late Friday afternoon, Ballad Health said.
In North Carolina, a lake featured in the movie “Dirty Dancing” overtopped a dam and surrounding neighborhoods were evacuated, although there were no immediate concerns it would fail. People also were evacuated from Newport, Tennessee, a city of about 7,000 people, amid concerns about a dam near there, although officials later said the structure had not failed.
Tornadoes hit some areas, including one in Nash County, North Carolina, that critically injured four people.
Atlanta received a record 11.12 inches (28.24 centimeters) of rain in 48 hours, the most the city has seen in a two-day period since record keeping began in 1878, Georgia's Office of the State Climatologist said on the social platform X. The previous mark of 9.59 inches (24.36 cm) was set in 1886. Some neighborhoods were so badly flooded that only car roofs could be seen poking above the water.
Climate change has exacerbated conditions that allow such storms to thrive, rapidly intensifying in warming waters and turning into powerful cyclones sometimes in a matter of hours.
When Laurie Lilliott pulled onto her street in Dekle Beach, Florida, after Helene plowed through, she couldn’t see the roofline of her home beyond the palm trees. It had collapsed, torn apart by the pounding storm surge, one corner still precariously propped up by a piling.
“It took me a long time to breathe,” Lilliott said.
As she surveyed the damage, her name and phone number were still inked on her arm in permanent marker, an admonition by Taylor County officials to help identify recovered bodies in the storm's aftermath. The community has taken direct hits from three hurricanes since August 2023.
All five who died in one Florida county were in neighborhoods where residents were told to evacuate, said Bob Gualtieri, the sheriff in Pinellas County in the St. Petersburg area. Some who stayed ended up having to hide in their attics to escape the rising water.
“We tried to launch boats, we tried to use high-water vehicles, and we just met with too many obstacles,” Gualtieri said, adding that the death toll could rise as crews go door-to-door in flooded areas.
More deaths were reported in Georgia and the Carolinas, including two South Carolina firefighters who died when a tree struck their truck.
Video on social media showed sheets of rain and siding coming off buildings in Perry, Florida, near where the storm hit land. A news station showed a home that was overturned, and many communities established curfews.
Also in Perry, the hurricane peeled off the new roof of a church that was replaced after Hurricane Idalia last year.
When the water hit knee-level in Kera O’Neil’s home in Hudson, Florida, she knew it was time to escape.
“There’s a moment where you are thinking, ‘If this water rises above the level of the stove, we are not going to have not much room to breathe,’” she said, recalling how she and her sister waded through chest-deep water with one cat in a plastic carrier and another in a cardboard box.
In Cedar Key, Florida, Kegan Ward described the terror of hearing tree limbs crashing down: “I didn’t know what I was going to wake up to.”
President Joe Biden said he was praying for survivors, and the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency headed to the area. The agency deployed more than 1,500 workers, and they helped with 400 rescues by late morning.
In Tampa, some areas could be reached only by boat.
Officials warned that floodwaters can be dangerous, containing live wires, sewage, sharp objects and other debris.
“If you are trapped and need help please call for rescuers – DO NOT TRY TO TREAD FLOODWATERS YOURSELF,” the sheriff’s office in Citrus County, Florida, warned via Facebook.
Nearly 4 million homes and businesses were without power in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, according to poweroutage.us.
In Georgia, an electrical utility group warned of “catastrophic” damage to utility infrastructure, with more than 100 high voltage transmission lines damaged. And officials in South Carolina, where more than 40% of customers were without power, said crews had to cut their way through debris just to determine what was still standing in some places.
The hurricane came ashore near the mouth of the Aucilla River, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) northwest of where Idalia hit last year at nearly the same ferocity. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the damage from Helene appears to be greater than the combined effects of Idalia and Hurricane Debby in August.
“It’s tough, and we understand that. We also understand that this is a resilient state,” DeSantis said at a news conference in storm-damaged St. Pete Beach.
Soon after it crossed over land, Helene weakened to a tropical storm and later a post-tropical cyclone. Forecasters said it continued to produce catastrophic flooding, and some areas received more than a foot of rain.
A mudslide in the Appalachian Mountains washed out part of an interstate highway at the North Carolina-Tennessee state line.
Another slide hit homes in North Carolina and occupants had to wait more than four hours to be rescued, said Ryan Cole, the emergency services assistant director in Buncombe County. His 911 center received more than 3,300 calls in eight hours Friday.
“This is something that we’re going to be dealing with for many days and weeks to come,” Cole said.
Forecasters warned of flooding in North Carolina that could be worse than anything seen in the past century. Evacuations were underway and around 300 roads were closed statewide. The Connecticut Army National Guard sent a helicopter to help.
School districts and universities canceled classes. Florida airports that closed due to the storm reopened Friday. Inspectors were examining bridges and causeways along the Gulf Coast, the state’s transportation secretary said.
Helene also swamped parts of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, flooding streets and toppling trees as it brushed past the resort city of Cancun this week. It also knocked out power to more than 200,000 homes and businesses in western Cuba.
Helene was the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-average season this year because of record-warm ocean temperatures.
Payne reported from Tallahassee, Florida, and Hollingsworth reported from Kansas City, Missouri. Associated Press journalists Seth Borenstein in New York; Jeff Amy in Atlanta; Russ Bynum in Valdosta, Georgia; Danica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Andrea Rodríguez in Havana; Mark Stevenson and María Verza in Mexico City; and Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon, contributed.
Chris Elder carries sections of a fallen tree as neighbor, Mike Cioffoletti works a chain saw to cut down a large tree that fell over Sandy Cove Drive, after Hurricane Helene passed the area Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 in Morganton, N.C. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek)
Torrential rain from Hurricane Helene has caused lake levels to rise on Lake James, resulting in flooded docks and gazebos, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 in Morganton, N.C. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek)
Destruction to the Faraway Inn Cottages and Motel is seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in Cedar Key, Fla., Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Destruction to the Faraway Inn Cottages and Motel is seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in Cedar Key, Fla., Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Stephen Smith)
Leslie Sturmer, a University of Florida employee, and John Rittenhouse, general manager of the Cedar Key Water and Sewer District, both residents, talk in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in Cedar Key, Fla., Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
This photo provided by U.S. Coast Guard District Seven (USCGSoutheast) shows a man and his dog being rescued after his sailboat became disabled during Hurricane Helene approximately 25 miles off Sanibel Island, Fla., on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (U.S. Coast Guard District Seven via AP)
Jill Rice looks over the damage to her store caused by flooding from Hurricane Helene on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Gulfport, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
Dustin Holmes, rear left, his girlfriend Hailey Morgan, and her children Aria Skye Hall, 7, right, and Kyle Ross, 4, walk through a flooded road while returning to their home after Hurricane Helene passed near the area, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Crystal River, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
A dog wades through floodwaters near collapsed homes in Dekle Beach on the coast of rural Taylor County, Fla., Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Kate Payne)
MJ Hodges, left, and her mother Jill Rice look at the damage caused to their store from the floodwaters of Hurricane Helene on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Gulfport, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
Officer Nate Martir, left, Capt. BJ Johnston and Lieutenant Kevin Kleis, law enforcement officers from the Florida Fish Wildlife and Conservation Commission drive past destruction in a high water capable swamp buggy, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in Cedar Key, Fla., Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
A tree rests on an adandoned car on Interstate 20 in the aftermath of Hurrican Helene Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, Grovetown, Ga. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
Faith Cotto comforts her mother Nancy as they look at the remains of their home which burned during the flooding from Hurricane Helene in the Shore Acres neighborhood Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
Officer Nate Martir, a law enforcement officer from the Florida Fish Wildlife and Conservation Commission, holds an American flag that was lying on the ground amid debris, while patrolling from a high water capable swamp buggy, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in Cedar Key, Fla., Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Max Ceratti, 19, lifts up the garage door to examine the damage done to his car from Hurricane Helene at his home around the Sunset Park neighborhood on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
The business Chez What is seen after of Hurricane Helene moved through the area Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Valdosta, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Law enforcement officers from the Florida Fish Wildlife and Conservation Commission drive past destruction in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in Cedar Key, Fla., Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Thomas Chaves, left, and Vinny Almeida walk through floodwaters from Hurricane Helene in an attempt to reach Chaves's mother's house in the Shore Acres neighborhood Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
This photo provided by Venice Police Department rescue crews assist residents after conducting door-to-door wellness checks, in coastal areas that were flooded by Hurricane Helene on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 in Venice, Fla . (Venice Police Department via AP)
This photo provided by Venice Police Department rescue crews assist residents after conducting door-to-door wellness checks, in coastal areas that were flooded by Hurricane Helene on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 in Venice, Fla . (Venice Police Department via AP)
Capt. BJ Johnston, a law enforcement officer from the Florida Fish Wildlife and Conservation Commission surveys destruction from a high water buggy in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in Cedar Key, Fla., Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
A damaged 100-year-old home is seen after an Oak tree landed on it after Hurricane Helene moved through the area, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Valdosta, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Workers remove debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in Cedar Key, Fla., Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Bradley Tennant looks through his house flooded with water from Hurricane Helene in the Shore Acres neighborhood Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
A woman walks with her dog through floodwaters from Hurricane Helene in the Shore Acres neighborhood Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
Floodwaters surround a structure Friday, Sept 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)
A vehicle is submerged outside a home near Peachtree Creek in Atlanta Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)
Workers clear debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in Cedar Key, Fla., Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Workers remove debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in Cedar Key, Fla., Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Halle Brooks kayaks down a street flooded by Hurricane Helene in the Shore Acres neighborhood Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
This photo provided by U.S. Coast Guard District Seven (USCGSoutheast) shows a man and his dog being rescued after his sailboat became disabled during Hurricane Helene approximately 25 miles off Sanibel Island, Fla., on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (U.S. Coast Guard District Seven via AP)
An American flag sits in the floodwaters from Hurricane Helene in the Shore Acres neighborhood Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
Thomas Chaves, left, and Vinny Almeida walk through floodwaters from Hurricane Helene in an attempt to reach Chaves's mother's house in the Shore Acres neighborhood Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
Staff of the Inn On The Gulf clean up after their restaurant flooded with surge from Hurricane Helene Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Hudson, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
A boat rests on a street after being relocated during flooding caused by Hurricane Helene Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Hudson, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
Union Cathederal church is seen after of Hurricane Helene moved through the area on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Valdosta, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
A damaged 100-year-old home is seen after an Oak tree landed on the home after Hurricane Helene moved through the area, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Valdosta, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
A man walks out of a street with water flooded from Hurricane Helene Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in New Port Richey, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
Staff of the Inn On The Gulf clean up after their restaurant flooded with surge from Hurricane Helene Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Hudson, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
An airboat transports residents rescued from floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 in Crystal River, Fla. (Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
People and pets are rescued from flooded neighborhoods in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 in Crystal River, Fla. (Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Clarissa Lucky gives a tour of her home that flooded from Hurricane Helene near DeSoto Park, Fla., on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Tampa. (Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Andrew Lucky, 54, speaks about the water damage to his house caused by a flood from Hurricane Helene near DeSoto Park, Fla., on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Tampa. (Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
A Citrus County Firefigher carries 11-year- old, Michael Cribbins, while conducting rescues from floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 in Crystal River, Fla. (Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Jamir Lewis wades through floodwaters with his two daughters, Nylah and Aria, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 in Crystal River, Fla. (Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
A woman looks at her dogs sitting on a sofa, as she stands inside her home that was flooded in the passing of Hurricane Helene, in Batabano, Mayabeque province, Cuba, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
A man floats in a container on a street flooded by the passing of Hurricane Helene, in Batabano, Mayabeque province, Cuba, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Residents wade through a street flooded in the passing of Hurricane Helene, in Batabano, Mayabeque province, Cuba, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Vehicles move slowly around trees that have fallen after Hurricane Helene moved through the area, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Valdosta, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Vehicles move slowly around trees that have fallen after of Hurricane Helene moved through the area, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Valdosta, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
A damaged 100-year-old home is seen after an Oak tree landed on it after Hurricane Helene moved through the area Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Valdosta, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
A person looks over a flooded street due to Hurricane Helene late Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024 in New Port Richey, Fla. (Danielle Molisee via AP)
Ronda Bell looks on after an Oak tree landed on her 100-year-old home after Hurricane Helene moved through, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Valdosta, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Flooded streets after the Hurricane Helene are seen in Madeira Beach, Fla.,Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (Max Chesnes/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Sharonda and Victor Davis, of Tallahassee, sit with their children Victoria background left, and Amaya, background right, inside a hurricane evacuation shelter at Fairview Middle School, ahead of Hurricane Helene, expected to make landfall here today, in Leon County, Fla., Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Katoria Harvey, of Tallahassee, sits with her niece Ny'Year Harvey, 3 months, inside a hurricane evacuation shelter at Fairview Middle School, ahead of Hurricane Helene, expected to make landfall here today, in Leon County, Fla., Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Surfers take advantage of heavy winds along Higgs Beach in Key West, Florida, on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. Despite passing the Florida Keys by hundreds of miles, sustained winds over 40 mph churned up the usually calm, nearshore waters. (Rob O'Neal/The Key West Citizen via AP)
Mary Tanner Jerome Tanner, of Tallahassee, sit inside an evacuation shelter ahead of Hurricane Helene, expected to make landfall here today, in Leon County, Fla., Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Louis Ward, 57, rides his bike along the the Gulfport waterfront as it takes on water as Hurricane Helene makes its way toward the Florida Panhandle, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024 in Gulfport. (Martha Asencio-Rhine/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Jose Gonzales and his son Jadin Gonzales, 14, fill sand bags ahead of Hurricane Helene, expected to make landfall Thursday evening, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, in Clyattville, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Bobby Joe Edwards, Sr., and his wife Lillie Edwards, of Walkalla, Fla., and their grandson Tavarrious Dixon, right, rest inside a hurricane evacuation shelter at Fairview Middle School, ahead of Hurricane Helene, expected to make landfall here today, in Leon County, Fla., Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Guests at the Magic Kingdom break out ponchos at Cinderella Castle as bands of weather from Hurricane Helene move through Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Fla., Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. All four of Disney's Florida theme parks remained open Thursday as the storm passed to the west in the Gulf of Mexico. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)
Camryn Frick, left, and Jillian Sternick, both 22, and of Tampa, hold hands as they cross a flooded street together along Bayshore Boulevard on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
A Sam's Club employee wraps wraps fuel pumps ahead of Hurricane Helene, expected to make landfall Thursday evening, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, in Valdosta, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Charles Starling, a lineman with Team Fishel, is pelted with rain as he walks by a row of electrical line trucks stage in a field in The Villages, Fla., Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, in preparation for damage from Hurricane Helene. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel via AP)
The St. Pete Pier is pictured among high winds and waves as Hurricane Helene makes its way toward the Florida panhandle, passing west of Tampa Bay, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024 in St. Petersburg, Fla. (Martha Asencio-Rhine/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
This GOES-16 GeoColor satellite image taken at 5:46 p.m. EDT and provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Hurricane Helene in the Gulf of Mexico moving towards Florida, Thursday, Sept. 26 2024. (NOAA via AP)
Vera Kelly, of Tallahassee, lies on a cot after evacuating to a hurricane shelter with her grandchildren and great grandchildren, at Fairview Middle School, ahead of Hurricane Helene, expected to make landfall here today, in Leon County, Fla., Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
