Hurricane Helene batters Georgia after barreling through Florida overnight.
Hurricane Helene has traveled north from Florida to Georgia and was about 100 miles from Augusta and 40 miles from Macon moving at about 30 mph, the hurricane center in Miami said in a 4 a.m. update.
The hurricane roared ashore in northwestern Florida late Thursday as a powerful Category 4 storm, unleashing catastrophic winds and torrential rain that left millions without power and prompted emergency declarations across multiple states.
The storm has prompted hurricane and flash flood warnings extending far inland into northern Georgia and western North Carolina, with forecasters warning of dangerous conditions well beyond the coast. Maps from weather forecaster Windy.com show its path and damage.
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As Hurricane Helene moved inland, the storm claimed its first victims: one person was killed in Florida when a sign fell on their car, while two others were reported dead in south Georgia, where a possible tornado struck as the storm approached.
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“When Floridians wake up tomorrow morning, we’re going to be waking up to a state where very likely there’s been additional loss of life and certainly there’s going to be loss of property”, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a Thursday night news conference, highlighting the storm’s deadly toll.
