Search for survivors underway And a federal state of emergency has been declared in six states. States including Florida and Georgia.
As of Sunday morning, 63 people across five states were confirmed dead, according to the BBC’s US partner CBS, but the death toll is expected to rise as searches uncover more victims.
The highest number of deaths among individual states was South Carolina, with 24 deaths. According to the governors of both states, 17 people have died in Georgia and 11 in Florida.
“The destruction we are seeing in the aftermath of Hurricane Helen has been overwhelming,” President Joe Biden said Saturday.
He received a briefing from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Director Deanne Criswell, who directed the agency to accelerate assistance to storm survivors, including deploying additional teams to North Carolina.
FEMA said it had deployed more than 3,200 employees and federal partners to respond to Helene. This includes search and rescue teams that have conducted more than 600 rescues throughout the southeastern United States.
Although Helen has weakened significantly, forecasters warn that the threat of high winds, flooding and tornadoes could continue.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warned earlier this year that up to 25 storms could occur in 2024.
Eight to 13 of these storms could develop into hurricanes, and a few, including Helen, may already have developed into hurricanes. With hurricane season officially ending on Nov. 30, officials warned that more storms could come soon.
