At least 55 people have died in five states in the southeastern United States due to the passage of Storm ‘Helen’ since the storm made landfall in Florida on Thursday as a hurricane, according to the latest official balance sheet.
The state most affected in terms of fatalities is that of South Carolinawhich totals 19 deaths, while in Georgia there are 17 deaths. Florida has raised the death toll to eleven this Saturday, while there are six deaths in North Carolina. In Virginia there is a deceased.
Meanwhile, there is more than 400 roads closed only in North Carolina, according to state authorities. “All roads to the east should be considered closed,” according to the Department of Transportation, cited by CNN.
As for the power outagesit is estimated that more than three million people are affected, mainly in South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Florida and Ohio.
There are almost 4,000 National Guard troops mobilized only in Florida, according to the Department of Defense reported on Friday. The National Guard has also been mobilized in North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama and at the federal level some 1,500 people have been assigned.
“It is one of the more severe storms of modern history in North Carolina,” lamented the state’s governor, Roy Cooper. More than 200 people have had to be rescued from the waters in the region.
While, The forecast points to more rain and a new storm over the weekend in the southern Appalachians. There will not be much rainfall, but it will affect areas already saturated by ‘Helen’, which increases the risk of flooding.
There also continues to be strong winds with sustained gusts of between 50 and 80 kilometers per hour in Ohio or the Tennessee Valley. The alert for strong winds affects more than 35 million people, according to authorities.
