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(NewsNation) — Helene weakened to a tropical storm early Friday morning as it moved through Georgia, hours after making landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in Florida and leaving millions of people without power.
Twenty-seven people are confirmed dead in Florida, Georgia and North and South Carolina.
The hurricane caused catastrophic storm surge and flooding along Florida’s Gulf Coast, and there have been at least four storm-related deaths.
Helene has left more than 1.24 million Floridians without power, according to tracking website poweroutage.us. As of Friday morning, more than 1 million outages were reported in Georgia, more than 1.1 million in South Carolina and more than 400,000 in North Carolina.
Helene had threatened Florida’s coast with potentially “unsurvivable” storm surges when it made landfall Thursday. Forecasters warned that the enormous storm could create a “nightmare” surge in coastal areas and bring dangerous winds and rain across much of the southeastern U.S.
As Helene passed through south Georgia, the winds slowed to 70 mph around 5 a.m. ET Friday. According to the National Weather Service, all hurricane warnings have been canceled, but tropical storm warnings remain for south-central Georgia and southeast Florida Big Bend counties.
Dangerous storm surge warnings continue for Wakulla, Jefferson, Taylor and Dixie counties.
Hurricane Helene rescues underway
A person died from a falling sign on a Tampa roadway during the storm, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis, and two others died in a possible tornado in south Georgia as the storm approached, according to the Associated Press. A fourth person in Jeff Davis County, Georgia, died, according to NewsNation affiliate WSAV.
Rescue crews have been working tirelessly to help get people stuck in floodwaters and storm surges caused by Hurricane Helene to safety.
Danny Alvarez, public information officer for Hillsborough County Fire Rescue in Florida, said crews have experienced up to 9 feet of flooding, saying it’s been “quite the task” trying to get to some of the county’s residents.
During several news conferences Thursday, DeSantis emphasized the storm’s strength and warned residents to seek appropriate shelter and evacuate high-risk flood zones.
A damaged 100-year-old home is seen after an Oak tree landed on it after Hurricane Helene moved through the area Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Valdosta, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) 
Flooded streets after the Hurricane Helene are seen in Madeira Beach, Fla.,Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (Max Chesnes/Tampa Bay Times via AP) 
Charles Starling, a lineman with Team Fishel, is pelted with rain as he walks by a row of electrical line trucks stage in a field in The Villages, Fla., Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, in preparation for damage from Hurricane Helene. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel via AP) 
This GOES-16 GeoColor satellite image taken at 5:46 p.m. EDT and provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Hurricane Helene in the Gulf of Mexico moving towards Florida, Thursday, Sept. 26 2024. (NOAA via AP) 
Residents wade through a street flooded in the passing of Hurricane Helene, in Batabano, Mayabeque province, Cuba, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) 
A person looks over a flooded street due to Hurricane Helene late Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024 in New Port Richey, Fla. (Danielle Molisee via AP) 
Vehicles move slowly around trees that have fallen after of Hurricane Helene moved through the area, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Valdosta, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) 
Vehicles move slowly around trees that have fallen after Hurricane Helene moved through the area, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Valdosta, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) 
ST PETE BEACH, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 26: A road is empty of traffic as Hurricane Helene churns offshore on September 26, 2024, in St. Pete Beach, Florida. Already a Category 3 storm, Helene was expected to gain further strength before making landfall this evening on Florida’s northwestern coast. Flash flood warnings extend to northern Georgia and western North Carolina. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) 
Charles Starling, a lineman with Team Fishel, is pelted with rain as he walks by a row of electrical line trucks staged in a field in The Villages, Florida, on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. Thousands of the trucks are staged by Duke Energy in preparation for damage from Hurricane Helene. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images) 
CRAWFORDVILLE, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 26: Utility crews repair a line damaged by an outer band of Hurricane Helene on the morning of September 26, 2024 near Crawfordville, Florida. Hurricane Helene is forecasted to make landfall nearby along the gulf coast this evening. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images) 
Waves crash against a building ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Helene in Cedar Key, Florida, on September 26, 2024. Parts of Florida face “unsurvivable” conditions when Hurricane Helene hits later Thursday, the US weather service said, warning that howling wind will drive destructive waves and storm surge as high as 20 feet (six meters) onto the low-lying coast. Residents heeded mass evacuation orders and fled ahead of the incoming hurricane — projected to be one of the largest Gulf of Mexico storms in decades. (Photo by Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP) (Photo by MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP via Getty Images) 
GULFPORT, FL – SEPTEMBER 26: A man crosses a storm surge flooded area on the coast of Gulfport, Fla. as Hurricane Helene passed through the Gulf of Mexico to the West on September 26, 2024. (Photo by Thomas Simonetti for The Washington Post via Getty Images) 
GULFPORT, FL – SEPTEMBER 26: A boat washed ashore as storm surge affects Gulfport, Fla. as Hurricane Helene passed through the Gulf of Mexico to the West on September 26, 2024. (Photo by Thomas Simonetti for The Washington Post via Getty Images) 
STEINHATCHEE, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 27: Emergency responders share information in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 27, 2024 near Steinhatchee, Florida. Hurricane Helene made landfall nearby last night as a category four storm but has weakened as it moves inland. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images) 
STEINHATCHEE, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 27: Members of law enforcement use a special vehicle in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 27, 2024 near Steinhatchee, Florida. Hurricane Helene made landfall nearby last night as a category four storm but has weakened as it moves inland. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images) 
STEINHATCHEE, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 27: People walk down a street with a dog in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 27, 2024 near Steinhatchee, Florida. Hurricane Helene made landfall nearby last night as a category four storm but has weakened as it moves inland. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images) 
STEINHATCHEE, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 27: Members of law enforcement use a special vehicle in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 27, 2024 near Steinhatchee, Florida. Hurricane Helene made landfall nearby last night as a Category four. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images) 
STEINHATCHEE, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 27: Floodwaters at Steinhatchee Rivergate in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 27, 2024 near Steinhatchee, Florida. Hurricane Helene made landfall nearby last night as a category four storm but has weakened as it moves inland. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images) 
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 27: A car is submerged in the floodwaters in the Buckhead neighborhood in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region as a category four hurricane, and has brought flooding inland as the storm system moves over Georgia, heading into the Carolinas. (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images) 
Katoria Harvey, of Tallahassee, sits with her niece Ny’Year Harvey, 3 months, inside a hurricane evacuation shelter at Fairview Middle School, ahead of Hurricane Helene, expected to make landfall here today, in Leon County, Fla., Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) 
Bobby Joe Edwards, Sr., and his wife Lillie Edwards, of Walkalla, Fla., and their grandson Tavarrious Dixon, right, rest inside a hurricane evacuation shelter at Fairview Middle School, ahead of Hurricane Helene, expected to make landfall here today, in Leon County, Fla., Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) 
Vera Kelly, of Tallahassee, lies on a cot after evacuating to a hurricane shelter with her grandchildren and great grandchildren, at Fairview Middle School, ahead of Hurricane Helene, expected to make landfall here today, in Leon County, Fla., Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) 
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 27: A car is submerged in the floodwaters in the Buckhead neighborhood in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region as a category four hurricane, and has brought flooding inland as the storm system moves over Georgia, heading into the Carolinas. (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images) 
A man floats in a container on a street flooded by the passing of Hurricane Helene, in Batabano, Mayabeque province, Cuba, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) 
A woman looks at her dogs sitting on a sofa, as she stands inside her home that was flooded in the passing of Hurricane Helene, in Batabano, Mayabeque province, Cuba, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) 
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 27: Floodwaters in the Buckhead neighborhood in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region as a category four hurricane, and has brought flooding inland as the storm system moves over Georgia, heading into the Carolinas. (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images) 
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 27: A car is submerged in the floodwaters in the Buckhead neighborhood in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region as a category four hurricane, and has brought flooding inland as the storm system moves over Georgia, heading into the Carolinas. (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images) 
ST PETE BEACH, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 26: Waves from the Gulf of Mexico crash on shore as Hurricane Helene churns offshore on September 26, 2024 in St. Pete Beach, Florida. Later today, Helene is forecast to become a major hurricane, bringing the potential for deadly storm surges, flooding rain, and destructive hurricane-force winds along parts of the Florida West Coast. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) 
ST. PETE BEACH, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 26: In this aerial view, vehicles drive through a flooded street as Hurricane Helene churns offshore on September 26, 2024 in St. Pete Beach, Florida. Later today, Helene is forecast to become a major hurricane, bringing the potential for deadly storm surges, flooding rain, and destructive hurricane-force winds along parts of the Florida West Coast. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) 
ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 26: People are splashed by churning surf from Tampa Bay as Hurricane Helene passes offshore on September 26, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Florida. Helene is forecast to become a major hurricane, bringing the potential for deadly storm surges, flooding rain, and destructive hurricane-force winds along parts of the Florida West Coast. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) 
ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 26: Tanner Flynn stands in shallow water near crashing waves as Hurricane Helene passes offshore on September 26, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Florida. Helene is forecast to become a major hurricane, bringing the potential for deadly storm surges, flooding rain, and destructive hurricane-force winds along parts of the Florida West Coast. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
“It is moving fast,” DeSantis said. “More rainfall is, of course, expected and it could lead to significant storm surge in our coastal areas.”
“To the extent it is tracking east and mirroring more of an Idalia track rather than a direct hit on Tallahassee, that is going to impact the extent of the damage,” he said. “This area has not had a major hurricane hit in quite some time and certainly, no one in recent memory has seen a storm of this magnitude that has hit.”
Vice President Kamala Harris urged people in the path of Hurricane Helene “to take this storm very seriously.”
“So, the president and I, of course, are monitoring the case and the situation closely, and we urge everyone who is watching at this very moment to take this storm very seriously, and please follow the guidance of your local officials,” Harris said Thursday. “And President Biden and I, of course, will continue to work closely with state and local officials to ensure that everyone is safe, and to protect communities before, during, and after the storm.”
Officials have forecast storm surges of up to 20 feet and warned they could be particularly “catastrophic and unsurvivable” in Florida’s Apalachee Bay.
Hurricane Helene emergency measures
Forecasters expect Helene to turn northwestward and slow down over the Tennessee Valley on Friday into Saturday.
More than 20 Florida counties remained under voluntary or mandatory evacuation orders as of Friday morning, and DeSantis declared a state of emergency for most of Florida. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster did the same, as wind damage is forecast to extend far beyond the storm’s center and inland across the southeastern U.S.
Public officials had warned residents to take extreme caution ahead of the storm’s landfall.
“There is a danger of catastrophic and unsurvivable storm surge for Apalachee Bay … this forecast, if realized, is a nightmare surge scenario for Apalachee Bay,” the NWS said ahead of Helene’s landfall, pleading with residents to “please, please, please take any evacuation orders seriously.”
“Every minute that goes by brings us closer to having conditions that are simply too dangerous to navigate,” DeSantis said Thursday.
Tampa International Airport, St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport and Tallahassee International Airport are closed, along with the Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay. Four NFL stadiums have been designated as extreme weather shelters: New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium; Lumen Field in Washington, Acrisure Stadium in Pennsylvania; and Florida’s Raymond James Stadium.
One man named Jay lives on his sailboat and said Thursday that’s where he planned to weather the hurricane.
“Anything that happens was meant to be,” Jay told NewsNation’s Ryan Bass. “It’s all preordained. I believe God has got our back. He looks out for all of us. He loves us all. If I wind up on land and my boat winds up crushed, then that just means I wasn’t meant to be on it.”
How could Hurricane Helene affect other regions in Florida?
The storm surge causes normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The destructive Hurricane Ian in 2022 had storm surge levels of 10-15 feet above ground level. Helene, meanwhile, could produce a storm surge of 15-20 feet in some areas.
The NHC warns of prolonged power outages lasting days to weeks, damage to trees and powerlines and inaccessible roads. Tornadoes are also possible.
DeSantis reminded residents to use generators properly and make sure they stay outside their homes, as using them indoors could lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. He also encouraged locals to look into the pet-friendly shelters required in each county.
Florida A&M University in Tallahassee postponed its upcoming college football game against Alabama A&M, while NASA and SpaceX rescheduled a planned astronaut launch.
Other states will feel the effects from Helene, with forecasters saying impacts could possibly be felt all the way to Tennessee. Record-breaking flooding is forecasted for Asheville, North Carolina. Gov. Roy Cooper said Helene could have deadly impacts throughout the state.
Tracking Helene’s path
Sept. 27: 2 a.m. EDT — Helene slowed to a Category 1 with 90 mph winds, heading north-northeast. Further weakening is expected as the storm moves more inland. Florida and Georgia should expect gusty winds throughout the morning, according to the National Weather Service.
1 a.m. EDT — Helene weakened to a Category 2 storm with 110 mph winds near Valdosta, Georgia.
Sept. 26: 11:10 p.m. EDT — Helene roared ashore, making landfall near Perry, Florida, in the Big Bend area of the state’s Gulf Coast. It had maximum sustained winds of 140 mph.
10 p.m. EDT — Helene’s eyewall moves ashore along the Florida Big Bend region.
9 p.m. EDT — An extreme wind warning was issued for the Florida Big Bend, meaning high winds of 115 mph or greater were expected due to the eyewall of a major hurricane.
6:20 p.m. EDT — Helene upgraded to an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane.
2:25 p.m. EDT — Helene upgraded to a dangerous Category 3 hurricane.
6:40 a.m. EDT — Helene becomes a Category 2 hurricane over the Gulf of Mexico.
Sept. 25: 10 a.m. EDT — Helene strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane Wednesday as it moved over the Caribbean into the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida.
