Hurricane Helene first hit sparsely populated rural areas of Florida, accompanied by winds of up to 225 km/h, causing significant damage and flooding.
Emergency services are gradually reaching residents trapped in flooded houses. The element caused trees to fall on buildings. A church in Perry, Florida lost its roofwhose renovation was recently completed after last year's hurricane.
Local authorities appealed to residents to they left the endangered areas.
USA. Estimation of losses after Hurricane Helene
According to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis the damage caused by Helene appears to be greater than the combined losses caused last August by hurricanes Idalia and Debby.
In the southern part of Georgia over 4 million homes and businesses, including hospitals, lost access to electricity. Governor Brian Kemp announced that dozens of state residents are trapped in damaged buildings.
Hurricane Helene in the USA. Intervention of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
The AP agency reported that the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Deanne Criswell, went to the most affected areas. The agency sent over 1,500 employeeswho participated in the event until late Friday morning approximately 400 rescue operations.
As Helene weakened to tropical storm status after passing over land, maximum sustained wind speeds occurred dropped to 110 km/h.
The hurricane began to move toward Tennessee and Kentucky. According to forecasters, heavy rains are expected over the Appalachians carry the risk of mudslides and flash floods.
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