Hurricane Helene leads to 100+ deaths, many missing; tropical storm Kirk arrives

At least 102 people have died in the United States since Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida last week as a Category 4 storm, tearing through the Southeast and leaving millions without power.

According to CNN, roads and bridges in impacted states have disappeared, electricity could be gone for a week or longer, and emergency and communication services are “in shreds.”

North Carolina has suffered the highest death toll so far, with at least 42 fatalities.

At least 25 hurricane victims perished in South Carolina, 17 in Georgia, 11 in Florida, four in Tennessee and two in Virginia, reports say. Hundreds have also been reported missing.

Helene’s path of destruction stretched more than 800 kilometres, from coastal Florida to the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Meanwhile, more than 2 million customers have been cut from power, according to PowerOutage.us.

U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to visit some of the affected communities later this week, “as soon as it will not disrupt emergency response operations,” the White House said Sunday evening.

Tropical Storm Kirk

Meanwhile, a new weather system, Tropical Storm Kirk, has officially formed over the Atlantic, the National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said Monday.

Currently located about 1,125 km west of the Cabo Verde Islands, Kirk has reached maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, prompting its upgrade from Tropical Depression 12 to tropical storm status.

The system is expected to strengthen into a major jhrricane over open water by the end of the week.

The NHC is also watching otjer activity in the Atlantic, including Tropical Storm Joyce, which formed in the central tropical Atlantic Ocean on Friday.

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