Broader search and rescue efforts underway in parts of Florida affected by storm surge.(CNN News)-
Broader search and rescue efforts are underway Friday morning in areas of Florida hit by significant storm surge, including many parts of the West Coast and the Big Bend region, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said. The governor said while crews are checking for any people possibly left behind, officials have not received any reports of that and rescue missions overnight were successful and “saved a lot of lives.”
“All the rescue operations that were done (…) whether it was local, state, or a combination … the folks that called [911] were found and were safe and were brought to safety,” DeSantis said.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission now has boat teams in Dixie and Taylor counties actively conducting search and rescue. “These are basically the ground zero of the storm,” the governor said.
An additional team of 72 staff members are en route to Taylor, Dixie, and Levy counties with shallow water boats. The fish and wildlife commission has a boat team of 15 going to Franklin and Wakulla counties to assess storm damage, and a 16-man Florida State Guard team is headed to Pinellas County to assist with search and rescue efforts there, the governor said.
South Carolina storm death reported after tree falls on house, 7th connected to Helene.(CNN News)-
From CNN’s Andy Rose
A person in Anderson, South Carolina, died Friday morning in another fatality attributed to severe weather conditions from Tropical Storm Helene. The victim died after a tree fell on a home, according to the Anderson County coroner’s office.
Spokesperson Alyssa Whitfield said the coroner’s office was still responding the scene and did not immediately have more details about the victim or the circumstances of the death.
It is the first reported storm fatality in the state of South Carolina and the seventh overall from the storm. Storm-related deaths also have been confirmed in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina.
Death toll from Helene rises to at least 6 after fatality reported in Florida when tree falls on home.
From CNN’s Rebekah Riess.During a briefing Friday morning, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis reported a second storm-related fatality in the state.A person was killed when a tree fell onto a home in Dixie County, in the Big Bend region of the state, he said.eSantis previously said another person died in Florida Thursday after a sign fell and hit a car driving on Interstate 4, near Ybor City in the Tampa area.
Potentially historic flooding is “imminent” around Asheville in North Carolina
From CNN Meteorologist Mary Gilbert.CNN News)_
North Carolina’s Swannanoa River has surged to major flood stage this morning near Asheville, where incredibly dangerous flash flooding is ongoing.
Water levels near the city’s Biltmore Village have reached nearly 18 feet – an increase of about 10 feet since Thursday evening. The river is normally only about 2 to 4 feet deep.
The river is forecast to rise to 21 feet and surpass its record flood stage today as rain continues to pound the area and area floodwaters attempt to drain into it.
Here’s a look at what the river has done so far (in blue) and the forecast (purple):
Swannanoa River at Biltmore.jpeg
National Weather Service
“Rapid rises are imminent along the Swannanoa River, resulting in major, catastrophic, and potentially historic flash flooding within the valley,” the National Weather Service warned.
Asheville and multiple other locales in western North Carolina are under rare flash flood emergencies this morning.
Atlanta mayor wants residents to stay off the roads as city braces for more flooding
From CNN’s Alisha Ebrahimji.
It’s not every day Atlanta residents see boats on their streets with authorities doing swift water rescues, the city’s mayor told CNN’s John Berman on Friday morning.
But that’s the reality Tropical Storm Helene has delivered to parts of Georgia’s capital city: inundating the ground, uprooting trees and downing power lines, including at the mayor’s own home, Andre Dickens said.
“We’re telling people to stay in the house, stay safe, and let us make sure that the emergency vehicles can get what they need to get to deal with these emergencies,” the mayor said.
Crews are still responding to calls for help, Dickens said, adding no injuries or fatalities associated with the severe weather have been reported.
Breaking News Helene batters Georgia after making landfall in Florida.(CNN News)-
From CNN Meteorologist Mary Gilbert
Helene has inundated parts of the Southeast with record rainfall, but the threat isn’t over yet.
CNN Digital Radar Recap Loop Severe 092724.gif
CNN Weather
The radar imagery above captures where Helene has dumped intense rainfall over the past 6 hours.
The yellow and orange values that track through Georgia and into western North Carolina indicate torrential rainfall. Much of that same area is under flood alerts of varying severity Friday morning.
Multiple flash flood emergencies – the most severe flood warning – are in place.
Helene’s heaviest rain will shift out of the Southeast this morning and expand over the Tennessee Valley and mid-Atlantic.
Storm surge in Citrus County, Florida, leads to more than 100 water rescues overnight.(CNN News)-
From CNN’s Rebekah Riess
Emergency crews north of Tampa in Citrus County, Florida, have conducted more than 100 water rescues as storm surge from Hurricane Helene stands at around 10 feet, county Sheriff Mike Prendergast told CNN Friday morning.
First responders were still on 22 water rescue calls and also had rescued around 50 pets, Prendergast said, noting there had been no reports of deaths of serious injuries in Citrus County.
“This is all storm surge,” he said. “It’s a little bit more than what we saw during Hurricane Idalia back in 2023, about 13 months ago. In fact, I think we’re going to have about 10 feet or so of storm surge when the National Weather Service gets out and does their survey.”
The Sheriff’s Office is being assisted by Citrus County Fire Rescue, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, which is using an airboat, the sheriff said.