Hurricane Helene, disaster in the USA with at least 63 deaths. It is among the strongest of all time –

At least 63 people have died and millions of people have been left without power as Hurricane Helene hit the southeastern United States. In North Carolina, more than 400 roads remained closed and the mountain city of Asheville was largely cut off. Gov. Roy Cooper said supplies are being airlifted to residents. According to insurers and financial institutions, damage caused by the storm could amount to billions of dollars. Officials continued rescue operations with boats, helicopters and large vehicles to help people stranded by floodwaters, including about 50 workers and patients who huddled on the roof of a flooded Tennessee hospital.

It was the most powerful storm on record to hit Florida’s Big Bend and moved north toward Georgia and the Carolinas after making landfall Thursday night. Hurricane Helene was the 14th most powerful to hit the United States since records began, with a width of about 420 miles (675 km), behind only two other hurricanes – Ida in 2017 and Opal in 1996, both with a width of 460 miles. Although Helene has weakened significantly, meteorologists warn that high winds, flooding and the threat of tornadoes may continue. Helene, which was a Category 4 storm, made landfall Thursday evening and remained a hurricane for six hours after landfall, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) the storm surge, or the rise in water levels caused mainly by strong winds pushing water towards the coast, exceeded 4.5 meters in height in some areas of the coast of Florida. The NHC said the surge was expected to ease before the weekend, but the threat of strong winds and flooding would persist, with landslides possible. Up to 20 inches (50 cm) of rain is still possible in some places. US President Joe Biden offered his condolences to the victims and families in a message on X describing the “overwhelming” devastation of Hurricane Helene and approved an emergency declaration for Tennessee.