(NEXSTAR) – Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region on Thursday night, bringing devastating flooding, heavy rains and damaging winds to parts of the Southeastern U.S.
The storm, which has weakened to a tropical storm as it heads north, has already been blamed for several deaths, including one person who died after a road sign fell on their car on a Florida roadway, Gov. Ron DeSantis said.
Helene has also trapped residents in their homes or cars amid storm surges and floodwaters, which officials had warned could contain live wires, sewage, sharp objects and other debris.
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A man crosses a storm surge flooded area on the coast of Gulfport, Florida as Hurricane Helene passed through the Gulf of Mexico to the West on September 26, 2024. (Thomas Simonetti for The Washington Post via Getty Images) -
The St. Pete Pier is pictured among high winds and waves as Hurricane Helene makes its way toward the Florida panhandle, passing west of Tampa Bay, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (Martha Asencio-Rhine/Tampa Bay Times via AP) -
A boat washed ashore as storm surge affects Gulfport, Florida, as Hurricane Helene churned offshore on September 26, 2024. (Thomas Simonetti for The Washington Post via Getty Images) -
Guests at the Magic Kingdom break out ponchos at Cinderella Castle as bands of weather from Hurricane Helene move through Walt Disney World in Florida, Sept. 26, 2024. All four of Disney’s Florida theme parks remained open Thursday as the storm passed to the west in the Gulf of Mexico. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP) -
Vera Kelly, of Tallahassee, lies on a cot after evacuating with her grandchildren and great grandchildren to a hurricane shelter at Fairview Middle School in Leon County, Florida, on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) -
Water from the Gulf of Mexico floods a road as Hurricane Helene passes offshore on September 26, 2024 in St. Pete Beach, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) -
Members of law enforcement use a special vehicle in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 27, 2024, near Steinhatchee, Florida.(Sean Rayford/Getty Images) -
Flooded streets after the Hurricane Helene are seen in Madeira Beach, Florida, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (Max Chesnes/Tampa Bay Times via AP) -
A car is submerged in the floodwaters in the Buckhead neighborhood in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Megan Varner/Getty Images)
Widespread power outages were reported across Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, too, with nearly 4 million homes and businesses were without power Friday, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks utility reports.
Photos from the areas where Helene had struck — both before and after making landfall — illustrate the devastating toll of the storm.
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Floodwaters inundate the main street in Tarpon Springs, Florida, after Hurricane Helene passed offshore on September 27, 2024. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) -
Ronda Bell looks on after an Oak tree landed on her 100-year-old home after Hurricane Helene moved through, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Valdosta, Georgia. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) -
A capsized boat washes ashore as Hurricane Helene churns offshore on September 26, 2024 in St. Petersburg Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) -
Vehicles move slowly around trees that have fallen after Hurricane Helene, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Valdosta, Georgia. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
The hurricane came ashore near the mouth of the Aucilla River on Florida’s Gulf Coast. That location was only about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of where Hurricane Idalia hit last year at nearly the same ferocity and caused widespread damage.
Soon after it crossed over land, Helene weakened to a tropical storm, with its maximum sustained winds falling to 70 mph (110 kph). Forecasters expected the system to continue weakening as it moves into Tennessee and Kentucky and drops heavy rain over the Appalachian Mountains, with the risk of mudslides and flash flooding.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
