Over three million people remain without power.
Authorities in the southeastern United States were working to clear the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Saturday, but the death toll continued to rise. So far, 43 fatalities have been reported, though officials expect to find more victims in some states, according to Reuters.
At least 3.25 million people across five states were left without electricity on Saturday. Full restoration of power could take several days.
While Helene was downgraded from a hurricane to a post-tropical cyclone on Friday, it still brought heavy rainfall and flooding to several states, threatening dams. The heaviest rainfall occurred in western North Carolina, where Yancey County saw up to 76 centimeters, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
Before moving through Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas, Helene hit Florida late Thursday night as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, with winds reaching 225 kilometers per hour. The storm left behind uprooted trees, submerged cars, and flooded streets, reports Reuters.
Scientists note that climate change is contributing to increasingly stronger and more destructive hurricanes.
