More than 100 deaths have been confirmed after the severe storm “Helene”. But the US government estimates that there could be far more deaths. There is currently no information about the whereabouts of 600 people.
According to US government estimates, more people may have died in the wake of Storm Helene in the southeast of the country than previously thought. “Up to 600 lives could be lost,” said the US president’s homeland security adviser, Liz Sherwood-Randall, in Washington. This is a high estimate – but there are currently no messages from 600 people.
The number of deaths confirmed by the authorities in the various states was almost 110 in the afternoon. According to the US broadcaster CNN, at least 115 people died in six states.
Wind speeds of up to 225 km/h
US President Joe Biden announced that he would travel to the region devastated by the storm as soon as possible after the storm. It is not just a “catastrophic” but a “historic” storm in the southeast of the United States, Biden said at the White House.
At the beginning of the week, millions of those affected were still suffering from the severe consequences of the strongest storm to date in this region. “Helene” made landfall on the Gulf Coast in the northwest of the state of Florida on Thursday evening (local time) as a hurricane in the second highest category with wind speeds of up to 225 kilometers per hour. Shortly thereafter, Helene was downgraded to a tropical storm.
Withdrawal over the Appalachians
The US states of Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee declared states of emergency. Thousands of people sought emergency shelters. Around two million people in the entire disaster region were still without power on Monday.
“Helene” continued north over the Appalachian Mountains before the storm completely dissipated. It brought heavy rain with it – entire towns were flooded, streets were washed away, and numerous people were trapped in their houses.