Atlanta Press Releases category interest

At least 45 storm-related deaths reported in 5 states

There have now been at least 45 deaths in five states from Hurricane Helene.

Here’s what we know:

South Carolina: A total of at least 19 deaths have been attributed to Helene, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety, including two firefighters who died in Saluda County, located about 43 miles west of Columbia, Gov. Henry McMaster said at a Friday news conference.

Georgia: At least 15 people have died in the state, according to Garrison Douglas, a spokesperson for Gov. Brian Kemp.

Florida: Officials are reporting eight deaths.

North Carolina: Two deaths have been reported.

Virginia: One person died in Craig County, Virginia, in a storm-related tree fall and building collapse, Gov. Glenn Youngkin said Friday.

"The whole side of the mountain started sliding": Helene triggers North Carolina landslide

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“The whole side of the mountain started sliding," couple escapes landslide triggered by Helene

- Source: CNN

Shattered glass, rocks and mud covered Kelly and Alan Keffer’s car after a landslide triggered by Helene came crashing down onto Interstate 40 as they were driving through Black Mountain, North Carolina.

“My husband happened to see something from the corner of his eye and then we started to hear things pounding on top of the car, so he stepped on the gas,” Kelly Keffer said.

“The whole side of the mountain started sliding,” Alan Keffer said. “It was on the other side of the interstate, so I thought we were going to be able to speed up and get out of there so I hit the gas, but it slid faster than I thought.

The entire ordeal lasted less than a minute, they said.

“When I looked around, I realized that the glass for the back window was completely shattered and there was mud everywhere,” Kelly said.

WATCH: Incredible flooding in Atlanta neighborhood

Hurricane Helene flooded parts of Atlanta with torrential rain Friday morning.

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Flooding in neighborhood in Atlanta, Georgia from Hurricane Helene

00:27 - Source: CNN

More than 3.2 million customers have lost power across Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and southern Virginia

More than 3.2 million customers across Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and southern Virginia were without power Friday morning, according to PowerOutage.us. This comes as rain and strong wind from Tropical Storm Helene continues to pound the Southeast.

Below is a breakdown of power outages by state as of 7 a.m. ET:

Florida: at least 1,205,659

Georgia: 936,957

South Carolina: 849,968

North Carolina: 264,354

Virginia: 13,794

Six states have declared emergencies

Six states are under states of emergency as Tropical Storm Helene batters the Southeast after slamming into Florida’s Big Bend.

The storm made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane and although it has now weakened, torrential rains and ferocious winds have caused widespread damage to homes and infrastructure.

Storm watches and warnings are also in place for 60 million people in 12 states.

These states have declared emergencies:

Florida: Gov. Ron Desantis said 61 of Florida’s 67 counties are currently under a state of emergency.

Georgia: All 159 counties were placed under state of emergency, enabling emergency management teams to make necessary arrangements and position needed resources ahead of the storm’s arrival.

North Carolina: Gov. Roy Cooper warned “Helene is an unusually dangerous storm that threatens to bring heavy rain and potentially catastrophic flooding” on Thursday night though Friday for central and western parts of of the state.

South Carolina: Gov. Henry McMaster said: “We will likely avoid the brunt of this storm, but it is still expected to bring flooding, high winds, and isolated tornadoes.”

Alabama: President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for the state and ordered federal assistance to those affected by Helene.

Virginia: Gov. Glenn Youngkin said the state “cannot ignore the fact that we have had significant flooding events arise from pre-cursory rain events and outer bands from tropical systems that drop locally heavy rainfall leading to flooding, especially in our southwestern region.”