Helene wreaks havoc across Southeast, killing at least 42 (2024)

Chart: Category 4 hurricanes are intensifying faster

Evacuations are in progress in areas that could be impacted if there is a breach of Tennessee's Nolichucky Dam.

A flash flooding warning for dam failure has been issued for the area downstream of the dam, including north central Cocke County, southwestern Green County and southeastern Hamblen County.

Cooke County Mayor Rob Mathis said in a 12:30 a.m. ET post on Facebook that homes and businesses in the Centerview and Bybee area are being evacuated.

"Emergency responders are going to door-to-door in the affected area to encourage people to relocate," he said. "Please seek shelter with family and friends and avoid this area until further notice."

A mandatory evacuation was issued for all residents of south Hamblen County along the Nolichucky River.

A breach of the Nolichucky Dam in Greene County, Tennessee could happen at any time due to extreme rainfall from Helene, officials said.

The Tennessee Valley Authority's River Forecast Center warned at 12:13 a.m. ET of an "imminent breach" of the dam, which could cause potentially life-threatening flooding.

The National Weather Service office in Morristown said a flash flooding warning for dam failure has been issued for the area downstream of the dam, including north central Cocke County, southwestern Green County and southeastern Hamblen County.

"This is a PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION," the weather service office said in an advisory at 11:35 p.m. ET "SEEK HIGHER GROUND NOW!"

The warning goes until 3:45 a.m. ET Saturday.

Post-tropical cyclone Helene is weakening and will likely become a remnant low this weekend, even as it promises another 1 to 3 inches of rain in the Ohio Valley by Sunday, federal forecasters said.

The front has little of the muscle that once made it a hurricane, yet it continues to inspire flood watches for parts of Tennessee, lower Ohio, and the mid-Mississippi Valleys, the National Hurricane Center said in its 11 p.m. ET advisory on the storm.

Helene was centered about 115 miles east-northeast of Paducah, Kentucky, with maximum sustained winds of 30 mph and a trajectory west-southwest at 8 mph, the hurricane center said.

However, the hurricane center said it expects the storm to stall over the Tennessee Valley overnight and through the weekend. Rain in the Appalachian Mountains was likely over, but some showers were possible, they said.

Tornadoes were possible overnight in southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina, the hurricane center said.

Reporting from St. Petersburg, Fla.

First responders were urgently conducting rescues in St. Petersburg in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. NBC News' Marissa Parra spoke with local residents who survived the storm but lost everything in its wake.

Reporting from Keaton Beach, Fla.

Outside Unicoi County Hospital in Erwin, Tennessee, ambulances were submerged by floodwaters as patients floated by slowly, still intubated, on rafts.

First responders and outside rescuers removed more than 50 patients from the hospital, its rooftop, and surrounding high water today.

Erwin Police Chief Regan Tilson said it was an team effort.

“We had a lot of support and a lot of help,” he said. “We needed it. We were able to get the patients, the staff, and the first responders out with the help of the Tennessee National Guard. And, of course, the Virginia State Police sent two helicopters. And without their support and help, we would have been in more trouble than we were.”

He said the rising floodwater took the community by surprise and made evacuating the hospital before the structure became an island virtually impossible.

A structural engineer assessed the Lake Lure dam Friday evening and determined its failure is not imminent, a town official said.

The Lake Lure dam in western North Carolina overtopped Friday after Hurricane Helene inundated the area, forcing evacuations and prompting warnings from officials early Friday morning that the dam could fail.

Olivia Stewman, the Lake Lure town manager, said a structural engineer “found it in stable condition,” despite damage that had been reported earlier Friday. The dam lost power early Friday, but that has been restored.

Stewman said residents who evacuated might not be able to return to their homes for now because it was difficult to travel through the area, with downed trees and other hazards. The area still did not have cell service, Stewman said.

Read the full story here.

Reporting from Pinellas County, Fla.

Access to potable water has been restricted to some Florida barrier islands because of “storm-related damages and flooding” at a water booster station in St. Pete Beach, Pinellas County said.

The restrictions impact residents fromJohn’s Pass south to Fort De Soto beginning at 8 p.m. ET tonight.

Due to the water restriction, the county is asking all residents to evacuate because it "will pose a health and safety risk to all residents and businesses in the area for the next several days," the county said.

"Residents and businesses in St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island and Tierra Verde will not have potable water service while repairs are being made," the county communications said, adding that the shutoff will "also affect water service to fire lines, which means fire rescue crewswillnot have access to water from fire hydrants in the event of a fire."

Pinellas County said "hundreds" of pipes were damaged from the storm and buried in the sand.

The Barrier Islands in Florida were closed today and access will be re-evaluated tomorrow, Pinellas County official said.

Reporting from Dekle Beach, Fla.

Since they were children, Leslie High and Laurie Lilliott embraced the natural beauty of Dekle Beach, a small town along Florida's verdant Big Bend coast, where Helene did some of its worst damage.

The storm leveled residences and felled trees, but after nearly hitting Dekle Beach dead on — the National Weather Service said it made landfall just to the north, near Perry — the storm's 140 mph winds couldn't take out the town's human bonds.

High grew up in the enclave; Lilliott was a frequent visitor with vacationing family and still comes regularly, she said. The population of Taylor County, which underlies Dekle Beach, is nearly 22,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“I’m born and raised,” High said. “You got the salt in your shoes, and you don’t get it out.”

Lilliott added, “It doesn’t come out ever. It’s kind of like the salt of the earth.”

Reporting from Tampa, Florida

A large swath of Florida's Gulf Coast saw dangerously high storm surge from Hurricane Helene.

NBC News Lite, a lightweight version of NBCNews.com available in emergency situations when internet connectivity may be limited, has been turned on for for readers in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama and North Carolina.

George Solis and Maria Piñero

Reporting from Asheville, N.C.

The historic Biltmore Village in Asheville, North Carolina, is under several feet of water and it does not seem to be receding.

Several residents are unable to access their homes, and there is no cell service in the city.

NBC News reporters attempted to drive to Charlotte from Asheville and turned around because of a mudslide. The highway is expected to be closed for at least 24 hours.

Photos and videos from the area showed Asheville submerged in water with fallen trees throughout and trash dumpsters floating along.

One man who spoke to NBC News said the amount of flooding "blows my mind," adding that the storm is a "reminder to me that climate change is going to affect all of us."

"No one is safe from the impacts of climate change and we really need to take action now to prevent these kinds of catastrophic events that are destroying our communities," he said.

The storm-hit city of Asheville, North Carolina, has activated a curfew from 7:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. ET, according to a statement on X.

"The curfew is to ensure the public’s safety and will be in effect until further notice," the city said.

The city and area experienced catastrophic flooding, with some communities under mandatory evacuation orders. City offices were closed today, some residents were under boil water orders, and public bus routes were shuttered at least until Saturday, according to the city.

The National Weather Service said dangerous rain and wind has moved north, but flooding will continue.

"Significant river and areal flooding will continue over the next several days across the western Carolinas and northeast Georgia, particularly in the vicinity of the mountains and foothills," it said in an advisory today. "We continue to advise against travel unless fleeing rising floodwaters."

A curfew covering the same hours was also announced for nearby Rutherford County.

Reporting from Steihnatchee, Florida

Heavy rainfall from Hurricane Helene is pushing a major dam past its limits in North Carolina.

Floodwaters overtopped the 124-foot tall Lake Lure hydroelectric dam today, forcing evacuations from the inundation zone downstream.

The dam’s maximum storage is 44,914 acre-feet, roughly equivalent to the volume of water in 22,500 Olympic swimming pools.

A structural engineer was on his way to the site on Friday afternoon to assess the dam, whose construction was completed in 1927. The town of Lake Lure was in the process of replacing the dam before it was breached on Friday.

As a whole, America’s dams — more than 92,000 in total — are aging and many need costly restoration. Few dams were designed for today’s climate, with a warmer atmosphere that can hold and deliver more intense rain.

Read the full story here.

The U.S. Army and Army Corps of Engineers have assigned personnel to help Southeastern states with post-hurricane response, the U.S. Army said in a statement today.

Seven emergency operation centers have been set up in storm-ravaged regions, it said.

Additionally, the 249th Engineer Battalion has deployed teams to Maxwell Air Force Base and Craig Airfield in Alabama, the U.S. Army said. The deployment to Maxwell includes two emergency power teams and a "generator staging bay," it said.

Maxwell, in Montgomery, is also site of Federal Emergency Management Agency staging, where relief supplies are being stocked before being sent to Florida and Georgia, according to NBC affiliate WSFA of Montgomery.

Those two states will also get U.S. Army and Army Corps of Engineers personnel who will likely work on debris removal and infrastructure repair, the U.S. Army said today.

As Helene makes its way north, it continues "producing catastrophic flooding" over parts of the southern Appalachians and the Tennessee Valley, according to the National Hurricane Center's latest update.

The storm is about 50 miles south-southeast of Louisville and moving north-northwest at 17 mph.

Maximum sustained winds are about 35 mph, but gusts are higher than that.

There has not been a catastrophic dam failure in North Carolina near the Tennessee border, officials said this afternoon, bringing some relief.

The city of Newport, Tennessee, posted the update on Facebook, but urged those who have evacuated to stay put as the region is still experiencing a "historic flood event."

Earlier, authorities placed downtown Newport under mandatory evacuation because it was believed the Waterville Dam, also known as the Walters Dam, in Clyde, North Carolina, had failed amid regional flooding.

The city's statement said "it was a false alarm" that came from the state Emergency Management Agency. It cited Newport's fire chief for that information.

Residents were told to continue to shelter in place regardless.

"Avoid traveling through flooded waters," it said. "We are aware many areas have lost power. Please exercise extreme caution in this historic flood event. This is a critical moment for everyone to be a good neighbor and help each other."

At least two tornadoes touched down today in North Carolina, the National Weather Service in Raleigh said.

The service reported at least one in Sampson County at 11:25 a.m. ET and said trees and power lines were down in the area.

At least one other tornado was reported in Nash County at 1:31 p.m. ET. A building in the area was damaged, the NWS said, and 15 people were injured, 4 of them serious. The NWS said 11 buildings were also damaged.

Nearly 200,000 utility customers in Ohio were in the dark today as the post-hurricane front continued to move north, reaching the central region of the state.

About 199,301 customers in the state were without power at 4:30 p.m. ET, according to utility tracker PowerOutage.US.

The number of businesses and homes in the dark throughout Ohio and the Southeast jumped from more than 4 million late this morning to nearly 5 million before evening, according to the tracker.

South Carolina had the most customers without power — more than 1.2 million — this afternoon, the tracker's numbers show. If that number represented residents, more than 1 in 5 South Carolinians are in the dark. However, it represents homes and businesses, so that portion could be greater. The state has nearly 2.2 million households, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

As the tropical depression continued to push north, customers in Indiana (14,466), Kentucky (225,717), West Virginia (94,313), and Virginia (243,109) were also experiencing outages.

Central Ohio was being inundated with heavy rain as residents faced tornado warnings, according to NBC affiliate WCMH of Columbus.

All of the people who were stranded on the roof of Unicoi County Hospital in Erwin, Tennessee, have been rescued safely, Sen. Bill Hagerty said in a post on X.

Nearly 60 patients and hospital staff were stuck on the roof as rising floodwaters crept higher throughout the day.

But Hagerty warned there is more "trouble on the horizon for East Tennessee communities" and urged residents to stay safe.

After facing record storm surge for the Big Bend region, recovery efforts for Florida’s gulf residents have begun at a slow and steady pace. David DeCarlo, Director for the Emergency Management office of Hernando County, Florida, joins José Diaz-Balart to give his initial assessments and explain the difficulties crews may find on the ground.

The Virginia State Police dispatched aviation units to help with the rescue of nearly 60 hospital patients and staff trapped on the roof of Unicoi County Hospital in Erwin, Tennessee.

The state police tweeted a photo showing the hospital engulfed in rising floodwaters and people scattered across the white rooftop.

Patrick Sheehan, the director of Tennessee's emergency management agency, told reporters that three helicopters from the Tennessee Army National Guard were also en route to the scene.

"That’s a great relief to us in the community, to take care of those Tennesseans," Sheehan said during a Zoom briefing.

Police in Clearwater, Florida, posted video of multiple water rescues from overnight, showing officers and firefighter pulling residents to safety on their shoulders. Clearwater is in the Tampa Bay area, which was hit hard by Helene.

All of downtown Newport, Tennessee, is under immediate evacuation after the Waterville Dam suffered "a catastrophic failure," Cocke County Mayor Rob Mathis said.

Drone footage shows flooding overtaking houses, roads and cars in Atlanta from Helene.

Helene, now a tropical depression, is located 125 miles southeast of Louisville, Kentucky, with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph, moving northwest at 28 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center's 2 p.m. ET advisory.

All tropical storm warnings have been discontinued and there are now no coastal watches or warnings in effect.

It’s forecast to slowdown and will stall over the Tennessee Valley through the weekend.

Helene will still produce more rainfall for the Central and Southern Appalachians, resulting in “catastrophic and potentially life-threatening flash and urban flooding.” Tornadoes are possible today across eastern South Carolina, central and eastern North Carolina and southern Virginia.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Helene's powerful winds caused damage to buildings that survived Hurricane Idalia last year and Hurricane Debby earlier this year.

"Areas that were hit in Idalia and Debby said that this was more extensive than both combined," he said at an afternoon news conference. "So I think you’re gonna see buildings that survived those two storms didn’t make this storm."

Helene, which made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region as a Category 4, caused widespread power outages, leaving millions in the dark. The governor said since the storm began there have been over 1.4 million power restorations statewide. About a million remain without power.

One of the hardest hit areas was Pinellas County. MelissaSeixas, Duke Energy’s state president in Florida, said that power outages are affecting a little over 200,000 customers in the county.

At least seven deaths have been blamed on the storm in Florida, DeSantis said.

Reporting from Steinhatchee, Florida

Hurricane Helene left Steinhatchee resident Susie Grant in disbelief after returning to her flooded home Friday.

“I was in shock. This is the worst I’ve ever seen here,” Grant told NBC News, surveying damage to the home she’s lived in for 45 years. “I’m glad I left, but I’m glad I still have a house.”

She said her residence, built from the ground up by herself and her late husband, took six years to construct.

“Well, it’s got mud and all that, and everything’s been floating around, and it’s probably about 18 inches (of rain) in the house,” Grant said.

Lake Lure Dam in Rutherford County, North Carolina, is currently holding even as water is cresting the dam, flowing around the side walls and structural supports have been compromised, the county’s emergency management office said in an update.

“Evacuations have occurred from the Dam to Island Creek Road. Evacuation sirens are sounding downstream of the dam,” the office said.

Emergency personnel are going house to house to ensure all citizens have been evacuated. Emergency shelter is available at R-S Central High School.

Helene inundated Unicoi County Hospital in Erwin, Tennessee, leaving more than 50 patients and staff members trapped on the roof amid rising floodwaters.

Alora Oler-Wyatt, the 911 director of Unicoi County, confirmed to NBC News that between 58 and 62 people were stranded on the roof as of 2 p.m. ET. The floodwaters were about 10 feet from the rooftop, she said.

The severe flooding in the area made it impossible for cars to pass on roads and swallowed up police cruisers and ambulances.

The National Guard and FEMA were responding; Tennessee Highway Patrol was sending a chopper.

Hurricane Helene left a trail of destruction from Florida’s gulf coast into the mountains of North Carolina after coming ashore as a Category 4 storm. More than a dozen deaths have been confirmed and millions were left without electricity.

Reporting from Tampa, Florida

NBC News’ Melissa Parra joined the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office’s water rescue team in an amphibious vehicle in Tampa today.

Corporal Matthew Harper said at least two dozen people were rescued overnight, in some cases the locals clambered to their rooftops to avoid the rising storm surge. One of the rescued was a 97-year-old bedridden woman who they were able to help get safely to an ambulance and on to the hospital.

Hillsborough County lifted its evacuation order today, noting 1,574 evacuees took cover in six shelters in the county during Helene.

Tropical Storm Helene is pummeling Georgia after slamming Florida as a Category 4 Hurricane. NBC News’ Priya Sridhar is on the ground in Atlanta reporting on the latest storm damage. American Red Cross national spokesperson Evan Peterson joins José Díaz-Balart to discuss their recovery efforts.

Two families' lives intersected in tragic circumstances yesterday when their cars crashed into each other on a rainy North Carolina road, killing one child and seriously injuring other children.

The fatal collision happened just after 8 a.m. ET in Catawba County when one vehicle crossed the centerline and collided head-on with the other, according to a statement from the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. The statement said the crash happened during "heavy rain conditions" and that it claimed the life of a 4-year-old passenger.

Three other children who were in the cars were hospitalized: A 12-year-old with life-threatening injuries, a 2-year-old with life-threatening injuries and a 4-year-old with non-life-threatening injuries.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said in a press conference that there are 11 confirmed fatalities in the state, and one of them was a first responder.

"One of our finest has lost his life trying to save others," Kemp said in a storm briefing.

He said there are still people trapped and rescues are still underway.

President Joe Biden on Friday morning approved emergency declaration requests from the governors of several southern states affected by Helene.

Georgia, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina will receive a variety of federal assistance from the government after the storm made landfall as highly destructive Category 4 hurricane.

Biden has also ordered more than 1,500 federal personnel to be deployed to the region, including search and rescue teams, medical teams and power restoration teams.

The president added he is praying for everyone affected by the storm, including those who lost their lives and the survivors who remain in harm’s way.

Federal Emergency Management Administrator Deanne Criswell briefed Biden on the initial impacts of Helene on Friday morning. Criswell will travel to Florida to survey the damage and meet with state and local officials.

Water levels reached more than 15 feet above ground in areas within the Big Bend region of Florida, according to preliminary storm surge information following Helene's landfall.

There will be a more detailed analysis of the storm surge in the coming weeks, the Storm Surge Unit at the National Hurricane Center said in a post on X.

Atlanta Fire and Rescueshared video showing first responders conducting water rescues in communities overrun with muddy flood waters.

There are flash flood warnings in a slew of Georgia counties including Fulton County, which covers Atlanta, as well as Clayton, Dekalb, Cobb, and Gwinnett counties. The Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agencyis recommending locals avoid travel as “several rescues are still occurring” and “numerous roadways are closed due to flooding, trees, and wires down.”

Five deaths were reported overnight in Pinellas County, Florida, officials said.

"It’s hard, but we will continue to recover as a community, and we will do everything in our power to continue restoration efforts for our residents," county emergency management director Cathie Perkins said at a news conference. "It’s going to take a while for Pinellas County to look like it did three days ago."

The sheriff's office said two of the deaths appear to be due to drowning.

Helene, which was downgraded to a tropical storm, is located 30 miles southwest of Bryson City, North Carolina, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph. It’s moving north at 32 mph, the National Hurricane Center said in an 11 a.m. advisory.

Flash flood emergencies are in effect for the metro Atlanta area and much of upstate South Carolina and western North Carolina.

The tropical storm warning for the Georgia coast has been discontinued and all storm surge warnings have been discontinued. However, a tropical storm warning is in effect for the Savannah River northward to the Little River inlet.

Helene is forecast to slow down in forward speed soon and stall over the Tennessee Valley tonight and through the weekend.

Water levels are expected to recede along the Florida Gulf Coast and portions of the southeast U.S. coast today. Tropical storm conditions are unfolding along much of the South Carolina coast, and will continue for several hours. Helene is forecast produce 3 to 6 inches of rain, for total rain accumulations of 6 to 12 inches, for portions of the Central and Southern Appalachians.

A man and his dog are rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard after his sailboat became disabled yesterday during Hurricane Helene approximately 25 miles off Sanibel Island, Fla.

Two deaths were reported out of Anderson County, South Carolina, as Helene battered the state, both involving trees falling on homes.

The Anderson County Coroner's Office responded to a death reported around 8:30 a.m. this morning on West Whitner Street in Anderson, and a second report around 10:15 a.m. on Williams Road off of Whiten Road in Anderson, coroner's office spokesperson Alyssa H. Whitfield said.

North Carolina residents who live below the Lake Lure Dam in Rutherford County were told to evacuate to higher ground immediately because water is overtopping the dam.

A shelter has been set up at the Rutherfordton Presbyterian Church, the Rutherford County Emergency Management said in a Facebook post.

First responders conducted dozens of high-water rescues in areas hit by flash flooding triggered by Hurricane Helene.

Over 4 million are without power now across the Southeast.

In South Carolina there are 1.3million customers without power, over 1 million out in Florida and Georgia, over 640,000 out in North Carolina and over 66,000 out in Tennessee, according to PowerOutage.US numbers as of 10 a.m.

This morning Helene is a tropical storm located 80 miles northeast of Atlanta moving north at 30 mph with 60 mph winds.

Today it’ll bring significant impacts to parts of the Southeast, Ohio Valley and Tennessee Valley with 42 million people under flood alerts. Life-threatening flash flooding will continue today especially in the Atlanta metro area, western North Carolina into the Virginia mountains and western/middle Tennessee.

Twelve million people are at risk for tropical tornadoes across the eastern Carolinas and southern Virginia including the cities of Charleston, Wilmington, Charlotte, Raleigh and Norfolk.

Destructive winds will also continue to cause power outages and crippling air delays at airports like Atlanta and Charlotte.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told a news conference this morning that a person died in in Dixie County after a tree that fell on a home as Helene lashed the state.

That brings the Florida storm death toll to two and the overall Helene death toll to at least six, according to a count by NBC News.

The other Florida fatality was reported last night after a sign fell onto a car.Three deaths have been reported thus far in Georgia and one in North Carolina.

Helene is producing damaging gusty winds and life-threatening flooding over portions of the southeast and southern Appalachians, the National Hurricane Center said in its 8 a.m. update.

The storm is located about 80 miles from Atlanta and 35 miles from Clemson, South Carolina. It has maximum sustained winds of 60 mph and is moving 30 mph.

A tropical storm warning was discontinued for the Florida Gulf Coast area to the Suwannee River to Indian Pass, the agency said. A tropical storm warning for the east coast of Florida to southeastern Georgia was also discontinued.

Helene was the strongest hurricane to ever strike Florida’s Big Bend as it was the first Category 4 storm to do so.

Helene brought massive devastation: The Florida coast from Tampa to Cedar Key experienced record storm surge of 6 to 9.5 feet last night. Some places set storm surge records including Cedar Key, Clearwater Beach, St. Petersburg and Old Port Tampa.

Rainfall highs include 15.5 inches recorded in Sumatra, Florida, 13.74 inches in Busick, North Carolina, and 11.12 inches in Salem, South Carolina.

Wind gusts as fierce as 99 mph were clocked in Perry, Florida, 85 mph in Cedar Key, and 83 mph in Augusta, Georgia.

Jamie Cruse, the police chief of Perry in Florida’s Big Bend, said his only regret in Helene is "we weren’t aggressive enough in the notification to tell people to evacuate the areas that were prone to flooding."

"I just hope that when we finally discover what we’re dealing with that we don’t have a big loss of life," Cruse said on NBC News Now this morning.

"Right now the sun is starting to rise, we’re starting to get the first glimpse of what we actually have laying on the ground and what we’re going to be dealing with. We have helpers everywhere now doing the first push through to try to see what we need to do to clear these roads to get assets and resources in here that we desperately need to serve our communities," Cruse explained.

Perry is in Taylor County, where the sheriff had issued a grim request for those who ignored evacuation orders to mark themselves with their names and information so they could be easily identified in the worst-case scenario.

Cruse said initial reports show that at least 15 foot surge inundated the coastal areas outside Perry, where there are single-story homes on stilts.

He's urging locals to not despair, instead allow police and local officials to do their jobs.

A flash flood emergency was issued for the Atlanta area this morning due to thunderstorms that are expected to produce heavy rain. Between 2 to 4 inches has already fallen with an additional 1 to 2 inches expected.

"Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly," the National Weather Service in Peachtree City said in an update.

The warnings are in the following counties: Northern Cherokee, Northwestern Dawson, Southwestern Gilmer, Pickens, Catoosa, Northeastern Gordon, Murray, Northeastern Walker, and Whitfield.

Floodwaters are seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene near Steinhatchee, Florida on Friday, a day after the storm made landfall.

Bruce Rector, the mayor of Clearwater, on Florida's Gulf Coast, has yet to establish the full extent of the damage from Helene, but he fears the worst.

He told NBC's "TODAY" show: “When the sun comes up this morning we’ll see what the damage is, but we believe it’s devastating.”

Overnight, the Clearwater Fire & Rescue Department had shared videos of first responders rescuing elderly locals in knee-deep flood water.

“The pictures I saw, the I videos saw last night were just devastating along Clearwater Beach, along all of our beaches here in Tampa Bay. I know from our fire and police that we had some homes burn to the ground out on the island, there were some folks that we just couldn’t get to because of high waters to rescue,” Rector explained.

He said some people just didn't want to evacuate.

“Last night it was a historic storm surge. We saw things out there in the flooding that people who have lived out there their entire lives have never seen. We did our best and it breaks the heart of our first responders when they can’t get through high water to rescue folks,” he said. “As far as I know they got to everyone eventually who needed to be rescued but we’ll find out today when we go out and assess the damage.”

Reporting from ATLANTA, Georgia

At least three people have been confirmed dead in Georgia as a result of Hurricane Helene. Meanwhile, about 1 million people are without power and remain under a flash flood emergency. NBC’s Priya Sridhar reports for TODAY from Atlanta, Georgia.

A person died and another was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after a tree fell on a home in Charlotte, North Carolina, around 5 a.m. this morning, officials said.

Officials believe the tree blew over due to Helene’s wind and rain, Mecklenburg EMS Agency PIO Grace Nelson said. No details regarding the victims were released.

That brings Helene’s storm-related deaths to five after one death was reported in Florida and three in Georgia.

Extended flash flood warnings are in place in for swaths of Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina today as Helene dumps heavy rain that has flooded roads, buildings and prompted evacuations.

A flash flood warning for Habersham County and Rabin County in northeastern Georgia was extended through 11 a.m. ET. This morning doppler radar indicated 3 to 7 inches of rain has fallen in those counties with the rate at 1 to 1.5 inches an hour, the National Weather Service in Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina, wrote in its morning advisory. As a result “significant flooding appears likely.”

A flash flood warning was also issued for Jackson County and Transylvania County in western North Carolina through 3:15 p.m. p.m. ET due to widespread catastrophic flooding across these counties.”

"Numerous roadways are flooded and impassable, and hundreds of trees are down across the area amid completely saturated ground.Many water rescues are ongoing.In Jackson County, evacuations of low-lying areas arealready underway,” the weather service said.

In South Carolina, a flash flood warning was extended for Oconee County and Pickens County upstate through 4:30 p.m. ET Friday as hundreds of down trees reportedly prevent rescue operations and as 5 to 8 inches of rain has already fallen.

“This is a particularly dangerous situation. Seek higher ground now!” The weather service warned. Warnings were also extended for Abbeville County, Greenwood County and Laurens County through 10 a.m.

Hurricane Helene's size was clearly seen from the International Space Station about nine hours before the storm made landfall in Florida.

The city of South Pasadena, Florida, is largely under water, according to video posted to Facebook by authorities attempting ongoing rescue efforts by boat this morning.

West of St Petersburg, South Pasadena is under a mandatory evacuation order.

Some 3 million energy customers will wake up without power this morning in the wake of Tropical Storm Helene.

The number passed 3 million just before 7 a.m. ET, according to PowerOutage.us and FindEnergy.com, including 1.2 million in Florida alone.

That includes 914,000 in Georgia, 723,000 in South Carolina and 252,000 in North Carolina.

A resident of Cedar Key, Florida, shared doorbell camera video of Hurricane Helene’s storm surge sweeping past their driveway, moments before the camera was submerged by floodwater.

A firefighter has been killed by a tree falling onto their car in Pierce County, Georgia, the local coroner confirmed this morning.

Details are scant and the coroner's investigation is still ongoing but NBC affiliate WTLV of Jacksonville reported that Pierce County Fire Department had also confirmed the death, which happened in the city of Blackshear, about 55 miles west of Brunswick.

The department also told WTLV that it is currently sheltering from the storm.

The effects of Tropical Storm Helene are being felt in South Carolina as waves crash over the sea wall and onto nearby buildings in downtown Charleston. The city and surrounding coastline are covered by a tropical storm warning.

Various hurricane and tropical storm warnings across Florida have been lifted or downgraded as Helene makes it way north across Georgia, the National Hurricane said in its 5 a.m. ET update, which reclassified Helene as a tropical storm.

• Hurricane and tropical storm warnings were discontinued along Florida's east coast south of the Flagler-Volusia County line, the National Hurricane Center said in a 5 a.m. update.
• A hurricane warning across the northern Florida coast, from the mouth of the Suwannee River to Mexico Beach, has been downgraded to a tropical storm warning.
• A tropical storm warning covering the Florida Gulf coast west of Indian Pass has ended.
• A storm surge warning for the Florida coast west of Indian Pass and south of Bonita Beach has also ended.
• A storm surge warning is however still in effect for Indian Pass to Bonita Beach, and Tampa Bay.

The sheer extent of the damage caused by Hurricane Helene won't become clear until the sun comes up, but already the affected region's power network is in tatters, with 2 million in the dark.

In Florida, 1.2 million people are without power, as well as 683,000 in Georgia and 242,000 in South Carolina, according to PowerOutage.us.

Helene hit last night as a Category 4 storm, the second strongest possible rating on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The National Hurricane Center's guide to hurricane strength says that power infrastructure could be damaged for weeks or even months in the event of such a storm.

People in Georgia should continue to shelter from Hurricane Helene and stay away from windows during what the National Hurricane Center this morning called a “dangerous and life-threatening situation.”

The NHC said in a 4 a.m. ET update that the storm was moving rapidly inland through the state, bringing winds of up to 77 mph and heavy rain.

Reporting from TALLAHASSEE, Florida

Hurricane Helene has eased to a Category 1 storm, but still poses a huge threat across 12 states. NBC News’ Jay Gray reports from Tallahassee, Florida, where residents dodged a direct hit.