More than 60 dead from Storm Helene

The death toll from devastating storm Helene has risen to at least 63, authorities announced on Saturday.

Rescuers facing challenges from collapsed bridges and debris-strewn roads conducted house-to-house searches for survivors in hard-hit areas in several southern and eastern US states, News.Az reports.

According to the latest updates from local officials and media reports compiled by AFP, at least 24 people died in South Carolina, 17 in Georgia, 11 in Florida, 10 in North Carolina and one in Virginia.

Helene hit Florida late Thursday as a Category 4 hurricane and tracked north, gradually weakening but leaving a trail of destruction.

Federal emergencies were declared in six states – Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee – with more than 800 Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) personnel deployed to support local authorities.

Repair crews were already at work Saturday and the National Weather Service said conditions would “continue to improve today following the catastrophic flooding of the past two days.”

However, it warned of possible “long-term power outages”.

As of Saturday evening, more than 2.7 million customers were still without power in 10 states from Florida in the Southeast to Indiana in the Midwest, according to the tracker poweroutage.us.

News.Az