Hurricane Helene: At Least 64 Dead In 5 States; Damage Could Top $95 Billion

Updated at 11 p.m. ET

FLORIDA — As Hurricane Helene's death toll climbed to 56 people Saturday, including 11 in Florida, experts said the storm is expected to be one of the costliest in U.S. history due to its devastating storm surge, damaging winds, and flooding.

A preliminary assessment released by Accuweather on Saturday estimates the total damage and economic loss from Helene will be between $95 billion and $110 billion. The estimate includes damage to homes, businesses, roads, vehicles and the effects of power outages, as well as lost wages, flight delays, damage to the supply chain and more, AccuWeather said in a release.

Other catastrophic storms include Hurricane Ian in 2022, which caused about $180 to $210 billion in damage; Hurricanes Harvey and Irma with a combined total of about $270 billion; Hurricane Sandy in 2012 with $210 billion; and Hurricane Katrina in 2005 with damages of about $320 billion.

At least 56 people are dead after Helene came ashore in Florida's Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane late Thursday, packing winds of 140 mph before quickly moving through Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee. The storm uprooted trees, splintered homes, sent creeks and rivers over their banks, and strained dams.

Of those killed in Florida, nine were people who drowned in their homes in a mandatory evacuation area in Pinellas County, Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said.

Those killed in the storm included three firefighters, a woman and her 1-month-old twins, and an 89-year-old woman whose house was struck by a falling tree. According to an Associated Press tally, the deaths occurred in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

None of the victims were from Taylor County, which is where the storm made landfall. It came ashore near the mouth of the Aucilla River, about 20 miles northwest of where Hurricane Idalia hit last year at nearly the same ferocity.

“If you had told me there was going to be 15 feet to 18 feet of storm surge, even with the best efforts, I would have assumed we would have had multiple fatalities,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said Saturday.

DeSantis said that the state has reopened its private Disaster Fund, which allows residents to make charitable contributions to help people affected by the storm.

Anyone in need of non-emergency information may call the State Assistance Information Line at 1-800-342-3557. DeSantis added that for the next two weeks, the Hope Florida Line will be open 24/7 for anyone who needs help with food, shelter, or other in the aftermath of Helene: 1-833-GET HOPE.

"Thanks to everybody who's been working. People did take this storm seriously," he said during a press conference at Bradenton Beach. "Now we've got to fix stuff, get people back up on their feet, and make sure that we're able to bounce back."

Search And Rescue Efforts Continue; 9 Dead In Pinellas County

The storm, now a post-tropical cyclone, was expected to hover over the Tennessee Valley on Saturday and Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said. Several flood and flash flood warnings remained in effect in parts of the southern and central Appalachians, while high wind warnings also covered parts of Tennessee and Ohio.

Power was restored for about 2 million customers in Florida, while 259,249 remained without it, as of 6 p.m. Saturday, according to poweroutage.us.

While much of the focus this week was on Florida’s Big Bend region, more deaths were recorded in Pinellas County as of Saturday than any other county in Florida.

At least nine died by drowning, Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said in a news conference on Saturday. All lived in a mandatory evacuation zone, he said.

While Helene passed more than 100 miles offshore, Tyler Fleming, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tampa, told the Washington Post the storm’s large wind field contributed to the unusually high storm surge in the Tampa Bay region.

“I honestly would have expected to see this kind of surge number from a storm making a closer landfall to the Tampa Bay,” Fleming said. “This speaks to the unusual nature of Helene, how big the wind field was and how quickly it was moving to cause these huge surge numbers.”

At least 1,500 emergency workers are focusing on search and rescue efforts in Florida after Helene, Florida's top emergency management official said Friday, according to Accuweather.

"As those sorts of rescue missions happen today, and continue, please do not go out and visit the impacted areas," said Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. "I beg of you, do not get in their way."

Hundreds of rescues were made by police and fire crews across the Tampa region in the aftermath of the storm.

Deputies rescued about 100 people from the Ramada Inn on North Tamiami Trail in Sarasota on Thursday night as water from Sarasota Bay began flooding the ground floor, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. Multiple deputies waded through rising water to evacuate the guests, which included several elderly people in wheelchairs.

Locally, Pinellas’ barrier islands and beach towns sustained the hardest hits, the National Weather Service’s Tampa Bay office told the Tampa Bay Times. Sand piled along Gulf Boulevard like snowbanks, caused by 8 feet of storm surge. Boats were dragged ashore into downtown Gulfport, parked next to ruined homes and businesses, according to the Times.

“It’s the worst flooding Gulfport has ever had — in the more than 100 years we’ve been a town,” Gulfport events supervisor Justin Shea told the Times.

Most Florida airports have reopened following the storm, including Tampa and St. Pete-Clearwater International Airports. Some flight cancellations or delays are being reported, so travelers should check with airlines directly on specific flight updates.

Several bridges crossing Tampa Bay were closed during the worst of the storm, according to authorities. The Howard Frankland Bridge fully reopened Friday afternoon after northbound lanes were closed for nearly 24 hours. By Friday evening, the Gandy and Sunshine Skyway Bridges also reopened.

The Courtney Campbell Causeway fully reopened Saturday morning, state police said.

President Joe Biden said he was praying for survivors, and the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency headed to the area. The agency deployed more than 1,500 workers, and they helped with 400 rescues by late Friday morning.

Officials urged people who were trapped to call for rescuers and not tread floodwaters, warning they can be dangerous due to live wires, sewage, sharp objects and other debris.

Related articles —

• GA Mom, Newborn Twins Among Helene's Dead
• Asheville Isolated After Helene Wrecks Roads, Knocks Out Service In NC

The Associated Press contributed to this report.