Emergency crews are scrambling to rescue people trapped in flooded homes after Helen roared ashore in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane. The system triggered a massive storm surge that knocked out power to millions of customers in several states.
At least six people were reported dead.
The storm made landfall in a sparsely populated area Thursday night, with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph in rural Big Bend. The area is home to fishing villages and resorts where the Florida Panhandle and Peninsula meet.
But the damage stretched hundreds of miles north, with flooding as far away as North Carolina.
Jamir Lewis wades through floodwaters with his two daughters, Nylah and Aria, after Hurricane Helene, Friday, September 27, 2024, in Crystal River, Florida. Associated Press)A Citrus County firefighter conducts a rescue operation with 11-year-old Michael Cribbins during floodwaters after Hurricane Helene, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Crystal River, Florida. Santana/Tampa Bay Times via AP)Andrew Lucky, 54, describes the water damage caused to his home by Hurricane Helene on Friday, September 27, 2024, near DeSoto Park in Tampa, Florida. (Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times via AP)Clarissa Lucky visits her home that was flooded by Hurricane Helene in the DeSoto Park neighborhood of Tampa, Florida, on Friday, September 27, 2024. (Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times via AP)A boat sits on the street after being relocated amid flooding caused by Hurricane Helene, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Hudson, Florida.On the evening of September 27, 2024, Hurricane Helene brought heavy rain to Atlanta, Georgia, flooding streets near Peachtree Creek. (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images)Candace Redwine surveys her Spiceman Kitchen store, which was flooded with about 3 feet of water as Hurricane Helene passes offshore in Tarpon Springs, Florida, on September 27, 2024. Damage caused by water. (Photo by Joe Redl/Getty Images)The Union Cathedral is seen after Hurricane Helene passed through the area on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Valdosta, Georgia.The Union Cathedral is seen after Hurricane Helene passed through the area on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Valdosta, Georgia.The Union Cathedral is seen after Hurricane Helene passed through the area on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Valdosta, Georgia.Vehicles drive slowly around downed trees after Hurricane Helene passed through the area, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Valdosta, Georgia.Crews clean up after the restaurant at the Inn On The Gulf was flooded by Hurricane Helene on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Hudson, Florida.Rhonda Bell watches an oak tree fall on her 100-year-old home after Hurricane Helene passed through on Friday, September 27, 2024, in Valdosta, Georgia. Stewart)People and pets are rescued from a flooded neighborhood after Hurricane Helene on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Crystal River, Florida.A steamboat transports residents rescued from flooding after Hurricane Helene on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Crystal River, Florida.Residents wade through flooded streets caused by the passage of Hurricane Helene in Batabano, Mayabeke province, Cuba, Thursday, September 26, 2024.
