Severe Weather Archives - Page 3 of 4

At least 56 dead and millions without power after Helene moves across the Southeast

PERRY, Fla. (AP) — Massive rains brought by Hurricane Helene have left many people stranded or homeless as the cleanup begins from the monster tempest that killed at least 56 people. Helene has caused billions of dollars in destruction across a wide swath of the southeast U.S. More than 3 million customers were without power Saturday, and some face a continued threat of floods. Helene blew ashore in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane late Thursday and then quickly moved through Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee, uprooting trees, splintering homes and sending creeks and rivers over their banks and straining dams. Deaths from the storm have occurred in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.… Continue Reading

Asheville has been isolated after Helene wrecked roads and knocked out power and cell service

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Floodwaters pushed by remnants of Hurricane Helene have left North Carolina’s largest mountain city isolated by damaged roads and a lack of power and cellphone service. It was part of a swath of destruction across southern Appalachia that left an unknown number dead and worried relatives unable to reach loved ones. The storm spread misery across western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, where on Friday authorities used helicopters to rescue dozens of people from the rooftop of a flooded hospital. In North Carolina alone, more than 400 roads remained closed on Saturday as floodwaters began to recede and reveal the extent of damage.… Continue Reading

Rescue efforts continue in western NC

RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) – Search and rescue operations are ongoing in Western North Carolina in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene. Governor Roy Cooper announced Saturday that more than 200 individuals had been rescued from floodwaters. “This is a historic and catastrophic storm for Western North Carolina, and I’m grateful to first responders working right now to save lives and evacuate residents,” Cooper said.… Continue Reading

Rescuers save and assist hundreds as Helene’s storm surge and rain create havoc

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Patients and their caregivers were rescued from a Tennessee hospital’s roof after flooding caused by Hurricane Helene drove them from the building’s interior and conditions made rescue efforts difficult. The dramatic scene Friday afternoon at Unicoi County Hospital near the North Carolina border was one of several that played out across the Deep South in Helene’s wake. Flooding caused by Helene’s storm surge and rain sent thousands of police officers, firefighters, National Guard members and others on rescue missions. Hundreds were saved, but at least 40 died. Five deaths happened near St. Petersburg, Florida, when residents ignored evacuation warnings and got trapped by an eight-foot storm surge.… Continue Reading

Torrential rains flood North Carolina mountains and create risk of dam failure

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Days of torrential rain in North Carolina culminating with tropical downpours from what was Hurricane Helene have officials keeping a close eye on a major dam. More than a foot of rain has fallen across much of the region in the past several days. The two main interstates in the mountains have closed. Crews have conducted 100 swiftwater rescues as of Friday morning. Officials in Rutherford County were warning residents who live on nearly 30 roads below Lake Lure Dam to evacuate immediately because water was coming over the top of the dam. Winds gusted to 108 mph atop Mount Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi River.… Continue Reading

What to know about Hurricane Helene and widespread flooding the storm left across the Southeast US

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Massive Hurricane Helene crashed into Florida’s sparsely populated Big Bend region, bringing storm surge and high winds across the state’s Gulf Coast communities before ripping into southern Georgia. The storm remained at hurricane strength as it crossed into southern Georgia, before weakening into a tropical storm as it approached Atlanta early Friday. It left a wide swath of rising water, known as storm surge, across Florida’s Gulf Coast. First responders were rescuing stranded people from Tampa and St. Petersburg to Cedar Key and Perry, close to where Helene made landfall late Thursday.… Continue Reading

Helene makes landfall in northwestern Florida as a Category 4 hurricane

CRAWFORDVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Helene has made landfall in northwestern Florida as a Category 4 storm as forecasters warn of “catastrophic” flooding along the Gulf Coast. The National Hurricane Center says Helene came ashore Thursday evening in the Big Bend area of Florida’s Gulf Coast. Officials have forecast storm surges of up to 20 feet and warned they could be particularly “catastrophic and unsurvivable” in Florida’s Apalachee Bay. Hurricane warnings and flash flood warnings extend far beyond the coast up into northern Georgia and western North Carolina. The governors of Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia have all declared emergencies in their states.… Continue Reading

Tropical Storm Helene is expected to become a hurricane. Florida residents begin evacuating

Florida residents are already evacuating and filling sandbags days ahead of anticipated flooding from Tropical Storm Helene. Helene formed Tuesday in the Caribbean Sea, is expected to cross the Gulf of Mexico and could strengthen into a major hurricane. Hurricane watches have been issued for parts of Cuba, Mexico and part of the Florida coastline, including Tampa Bay. A tropical storm warning has been issued for parts of the Florida Keys. The storm is expected to strengthen into a hurricane Wednesday. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency in dozens of counties ahead of the storm’s arrival as soon as late Thursday.… Continue Reading

80-year-old man found dead after driving around roadblock into high water

SUPPLY, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s highway patrol says an 80-year-old man was found dead after he drove around a roadblock into high water. The highway patrol responded shortly after midnight Tuesday to a report of a submerged vehicle on state Route 211 in Brunswick County. Sheriff’s Office vehicles were stopped in the road with their lights activated aiming to prevent cars from entering a flooded area. But the highway patrol says Richard Robinson drove around them. The vehicle became completely submerged and a responding swift water rescue team wasn’t able to find it. A dive team later found the vehicle and Robinson dead inside.… Continue Reading

‘Firehose’ storm hits part of North Carolina and scientists see climate change

The Carolinas braced for a storm that forecasters warned could bring heavy rain — as much as 6 to 8 inches in some spots. But one narrow band got a “firehose” that dumped as much as 20 inches in a so-called 1,000-year flood that shocked many with its intensity. But the storm that left homes flooded, cars submerged and schools closed Tuesday across parts of North Carolina wasn’t really a surprise to scientists who have long said that such rainfalls are one marker of climate change. That’s because a warming atmosphere holds more moisture.… Continue Reading