(Reuters) – Southeastern U.S. states began a massive cleanup and recovery effort on Sunday after Hurricane Helene's winds, rain and storm surge knocked out power to millions of people, destroyed roads and bridges and cause catastrophic flooding from Florida to Virginia.
The storm caused at least 60 deaths, according to state and local officials in South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. Authorities feared that even more bodies would be discovered in several states.
Damage estimates ranged from $15 billion to more than $100 billion, insurers and forecasters said over the weekend. Property damage and loss of economic output will become clearer as officials assess the destruction.
Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell on Sunday cited significant damage to water systems, communications and critical transportation routes.
The U.S. government has enough resources to deal with the disaster, Criswell said on CBS' “Face the Nation,” but recovery will be difficult.
Bottled water was sent to affected areas and the Army Corps of Engineers will begin assessing damage to water systems on Sunday to help them get back up and running, he said.
“The recovery can be complicated. These five states are going to have very complicated recoveries,” Criswell said.
About 2.7 million customers remained without power on Sunday, a U.S. Department of Energy official said, down 40% from Friday after record storm surge, fierce winds and dangerous conditions spread hundreds of miles inland. inside.
HITS THE FLORIDA GULF COAST
After days of torrential rain, Helene hit Florida's Gulf Coast Thursday night, destroying homes that had stood for decades.
A total of 11 people died in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Saturday in the Gulf Coast city of Perry, which suffered storm surges of 15 feet, greater than those seen by hurricanes in recent years.
At Horseshoe Beach on Florida's Gulf Coast, about 70 miles west of Gainesville, Charlene Huggins inspected the rubble of her destroyed home and pulled a jacket from the rubble Saturday.
“Five generations lived in this house, from my grandmother, my father, me, my daughter, my son and my granddaughter,” Huggins said, holding a chipped glass cake stand. “So there are a lot of memories here. It just breaks your heart.”
Not far away, James Ellenburg stood on the property where his own family has lived for four generations. “I took my first step right here, in this courtyard.”
Off the coast of Steinhatchee, a storm surge (a wall of seawater pushed ashore by winds) of eight to 10 feet (2.4 to 3 meters) displaced mobile homes, the weather service said.
The small nearby community of Spring Warrior Fish Camp was assessing the damage Saturday and was still waiting for emergency or first aid help.
“No one thinks about us here,” said David Hall, as he and his wife dug through seagrass beds and dead fish in the office of the hotel they own. Many of the houses are built on stilts due to a local ordinance and survived severe damage.
FLOODS IN NORTH CAROLINA
Some of the worst rain hit western North Carolina, where nearly 30 inches (76 cm) fell on Mount Mitchell in Yancey County, the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center reported.
State transportation officials said more than 400 highways remained closed in the state, where the governor reported two deaths on Saturday.
Floodwaters (NYSE washed away the Lake Lure Dam in Rutherford County and people in and around Chimney Rock described the village center as washed away. Images showing inches of mud and sediment, uprooted trees, broken telephone poles and buildings turned into rubble.
Just to the south, in East Tennessee, Greene County officials were concerned that the Nolichucky Dam was on the brink of failure, but the Tennessee Valley Authority reported Saturday night that the dam was stable and safe.
“As we continue to support response and recovery efforts, we will ensure that no resources are spared to ensure communities can quickly begin their path to rebuilding,” US President Joe Biden said in a statement on Sunday.
South Carolina recorded the highest number of deaths, with local officials counting 24 deaths so far in Helene, with falling trees contributing to many of them.
Seventeen people, including children, died in Georgia from Helene, Gov. Brian Kemp said after seeing the damage in Valdosta.
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;n.queue=();t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)(0);s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,’script’,’https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js’);
