Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding as cleanup begins

Millions of Americans were still without power and many faced torrential flooding on Saturday, authorities said, as powerful storm Helene rumbled across eastern and midwestern US states, leaving at least 44 people dead.

At least 19 people died in South Carolina, 15 in Georgia, seven in Florida, two in North Carolina and one in Virgina, according to updated reports from local authorities tallied by AFP.

Repair crews were already at work after Helene slammed into Florida late Thursday as a Category 4 hurricane and surged north, gradually weakening but leaving a path of rare devastation.

"Conditions will continue to improve today following the catastrophic flooding over the past two days," said the National Weather Service.

But it warned of possible "long-duration power outages."

Though power has been restored in some areas, more than three million customers were still without electricity across 10 states as of midday Saturday, according to tracker poweroutage.us. 

 'Move to higher ground'

 Helene originally slammed into Florida's northern Gulf shore with powerful winds of 140 miles (225 kilometers) per hour. Even as a weakened post-tropical cyclone, it has wreaked havoc.

Record levels of flooding threatened to breach dams, with one dam in Tennessee on the verge of failure, authorities said, urging residents to move to higher ground.

Massive flooding was reported in Asheville, a city in western North Carolina. Governor Ray Cooper called it "one of the worst storms in modern history" to hit his state.

In Cedar Key, an island city of 700 people just off Florida's northwest coast, the full destructive force of the hurricane was on view.

Several pastel-colored wooden homes were destroyed, victims of record storm surges and ferocious winds.

"I've lived here my whole life, and it breaks my heart to see it. We've not really been able to catch a break," said Gabe Doty, a Cedar Key official, referring to two earlier hurricanes in the past year.

 Gut punch' 

In South Carolina the dead included two firefighters and six residents of Spartanburg County, officials said.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp's office confirmed 15 deaths in his state, including an emergency responder.

Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida said the damage from Helene exceeded that of hurricanes Idalia and Debby, which both hit the same region southeast of Tallahassee in the last 13 months.

"It's a real gut punch to those communities," DeSantis told Fox News.

In the Tennessee town of Erwin, a dramatic rescue operation unfolded, as more than 50 patients and staff trapped on a hospital roof by surging floodwaters had to be rescued by helicopters.

Up to 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain was forecast in the Appalachian mountains, with isolated spots receiving 20 inches.

Remnants of the weakened storm were hovering at midday Saturday over the Kentucky-Indiana border, bringing up to 2 inches of rain. 

 'Overwhelming' damage 

In a statement Saturday, President Joe Biden called Helene's devastation "overwhelming." He said he was sending additional response personnel as the storm tracks north.

Vice President Kamala Harris said the administration had already mobilized 1,500 personnel to support impacted communities.

September has been an unusually wet month around the world, with scientists linking some extreme weather events to human-caused global warming.