- Honda and Nissan expected to begin merger talks
- 'Draconian' Vietnam internet law heightens free speech fears
- Israeli women mobilise against ultra-Orthodox military exemptions
- Asian markets track Wall St rally as US inflation eases rate worries
- Tens of thousands protest in Serbian capital over fatal train station accident
- Trump vows to 'stop transgender lunacy' as a top priority
- Daniels throws five TDs as Commanders down Eagles, Lions and Vikings win
- 'Who's next?': Misinformation and online threats after US CEO slaying
- Only 12 trucks delivered food, water in North Gaza Governorate since October: Oxfam
- Langers edge Tiger and son Charlie in PNC Championship playoff
- Explosive batsman Jacobs gets New Zealand call-up for Sri Lanka series
- Holders PSG edge through on penalties in French Cup
- Slovak PM Fico on surprise visit to Kremlin to talk gas deliveries
- Daniels throw five TDs as Commanders down Eagles
- Atalanta fight back to take top spot in Serie A, Roma hit five
- Mancini admits regrets over leaving Italy for Saudi Arabia
- Run machine Ayub shines as Pakistan sweep South Africa
- Slovak PM Fico on surprise visit to Kremlin
- Gaza rescuers say Israeli strikes kill 35
- 'Incredible' Liverpool must stay focused: Slot
- Maresca 'absolutely happy' as title-chasing Chelsea drop points in Everton draw
- Salah happy wherever career ends after inspiring Liverpool rout
- Three and easy as Dortmund move into Bundesliga top six
- Liverpool hit Spurs for six, Man Utd embarrassed by Bournemouth
- Netanyahu vows to act with 'force, determination' against Yemen's Huthis
- Mbappe back from 'bottom' as Real Madrid down Sevilla
- Ali hat-trick helps champions Ahly crush Belouizdad
- France kept on tenterhooks over new government
- Salah stars as rampant Liverpool hit Spurs for six
- Syria's new leader says all weapons to come under 'state control'
- 'Sonic 3' zips to top of N.America box office
- Rome's Trevi Fountain reopens to limited crowds
- Mbappe strikes as Real Madrid down Sevilla
- 'Nervous' Man Utd humiliated by Bournemouth
- Pope again condemns 'cruelty' of Israeli strikes on Gaza
- Lonely this Christmas: Vendee skippers in low-key celebrations on high seas
- Troubled Man Utd humiliated by Bournemouth
- 2 US pilots shot down over Red Sea in 'friendly fire' incident: military
- Man Utd embarrassed by Bournemouth, Chelsea held at Everton
- France awaits fourth government of the year
- Germany pledges security inquest into Christmas market attack
- Death toll in Brazil bus crash rises to 41
- Joshua bout only fight left for beaten Fury says promoter Hearn
- Odermatt stays hot to break Swiss World Cup wins record
- Neville says Rashford's career at Man Utd nearing 'inevitable ending'
- Syria's new leader vows not to negatively interfere in Lebanon
- Germany pledges security inquest after Christmas market attack
- Putin vows 'destruction' on Ukraine after Kazan drone attack
- Understated Usyk seeks recognition among boxing legends
- France awaits appointment of new government
US hurricane deaths rise to 44, fears of more 'catastrophic' flooding
At least 44 people died across five US states battered by powerful storm Helene, authorities said Friday, after torrential flooding prompted emergency responders to launch massive rescue operations.
Roads, homes and businesses were underwater -- many of them destroyed -- after Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane near the Florida state capital Tallahassee overnight and surged north.
As darkness settled over the region Friday, more than 4.2 million customers were without power across 10 states, from Florida up to Ohio, according to tracker poweroutage.us.
And while Helene weakened to a tropical storm and eventually a post-tropical cyclone, it has continued to wreak havoc with heavy rains that the National Hurricane Center said would result in "catastrophic and potentially life-threatening flash and urban flooding."
In Cedar Key, an island city of 700 people just off Florida's northwest coast, the full destructive force of the hurricane was on view.
Several pastel-colored wooden homes were completely destroyed, victims of storm surge and ferocious winds.
"I've lived here my whole life, and it breaks my heart to see it," said Gabe Doty, superintendent of Cedar Key's water and sewer district. "We've not really been able to catch a break around here."
Up to 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain was forecast in the Appalachian mountains, with isolated spots even receiving 20 inches.
In South Carolina at least 20 people have died, including two firefighters, officials said. Among the deaths were six residents of Spartanburg County, according to county coroner Rusty Clevenger.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp's office confirmed 15 people were killed in his state, including an emergency responder. Kemp warned that the city of Valdosta had identified 115 heavily damaged structures with multiple people trapped inside.
Florida's toll stood at seven. Governor Ron DeSantis said the damage from Helene exceeded that of hurricanes Idalia and Debby, which both hit the same Big Bend region southeast of Tallahassee in the last 13 months.
"It's a real gut punch to those communities," DeSantis told Fox News.
In Perry, near where Helene slammed ashore bearing winds of 140 miles (225 kilometers) per hour, houses lost power and the gas station was flattened.
"I am Floridian, so I'm kind of used to it, but it was real scary at one point," said Larry Bailey, 32, who sheltered in his small wooden home all night with his two nephews and sister.
Four hundred miles to the north in the Tennessee town of Erwin, a dramatic rescue operation unfolded, as more than 50 patients and staff were trapped on a hospital roof as floodwaters raged around them, local television footage showed. Helicopters were deployed in the rescue.
In neighboring Virginia, Governor Glenn Youngkin confirmed one fatality related to Helene. "This storm is not over," he warned in a video message.
- 'It looks bad' -
With typhoon Yagi battering Asia, storm Boris drenching Europe, a deadly new hurricane damaging Mexico's Acapulco and extreme flooding in the Sahel, September so far has been an unusually wet month around the world.
Scientists link some extreme weather events to human-caused global warming.
"Helene traveled over exceptionally warm ocean waters in the Gulf of Mexico," Andra Garner, a climate scientist at Rowan University in New Jersey, told AFP.
"It's likely that those extra warm ocean waters played a role in Helene's rapid intensification."
"Storm surges are getting worse," Garner said, "because our sea levels are rising as we warm the planet."
Curtis Drafton, a search and rescue volunteer in Steinhatchee, Florida, raised similar concerns as he tackled the aftermath of Helene and its destructive storm surge.
"We have got to start wondering: is this the new normal? Is it going to happen every year?" the 48-year-old told AFP.
Some residents in Atlanta resorted to bailing water out of ground-floor windows with buckets, while near Tampa in Florida, boats were stranded in gardens.
In the impact zone, residents had been warned of "unsurvivable" storm surge.
President Joe Biden and state authorities had urged people to heed official evacuation warnings before Helene hit, though some chose to stay in their homes to wait out the storm.
Vice President Kamala Harris said she and Biden "will continue to monitor the situation closely," adding the administration has mobilized 1,500 personnel to support impacted communities.
The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Deanne Criswell said "over 600 rescues" have been conducted.
J.Williams--AMWN