A damaged 100-year-old home is seen after an Oak tree landed on it after Hurricane Helene moved through the area on Friday in Valdosta, Ga. (Mike Stewart/AP)
Hurricane Helene slammed into Florida’s Gulf Coast, making landfall late Thursday as a powerful Category 4 storm, bringing 140 mph winds, torrential rain and a record storm surge before moving inland across Georgia and the Carolinas.
Millions of customers are without power across the Southeast as forecasters warned of “life-threatening flash and urban flooding” for the southern Appalachians. A flash flood emergency was issued for urban Atlanta. Mandatory evacuations were ordered in parts of North Carolina as swollen rivers threatened nearby homes. The Associated Press reported at least four deaths were attributed to Helene, which was downgraded to a tropical storm Friday.
Extensive damage was seen in Cedar Key, Fla., and Steinhatchee, Fla., where the storm surge picked up and moved mobile homes. Streets in Tarpon Springs, Fla., were inundated with water.
In Crystal River, Fla., more than 100 people and 50 pets were rescued from floodwaters overnight, the local sheriff’s office there said.
Photos from across the region showed the aftermath of the storm.
An American flag sits in floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in the Shore Acres neighborhood on Friday in St. Petersburg, Fla. (Mike Carlson/AP)
A house destroyed by Hurricane Helene after making landfall is seen in Cedar Key, Fla, on Friday. (Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP via Getty Images)
People toss buckets of water out of a home as the streets and homes are flooded near Peachtree Creek after hurricane Helene brought in heavy rains over night on Friday in Atlanta, Georgia. (Megan Varner/Getty Images)
Workers clear debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in Cedar Key, Fla. on Friday. (Gerald Herbert/AP)
Debris are left inside a flooded store after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Cedar Key, Fla, on Friday. (Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP via Getty Images)
Jamir Lewis wades through floodwaters with his two daughters, Nylah and Aria, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Crystal River, Fla., on Friday. (Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Floodwaters inundate Tarpon Springs, Fla., on Friday. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Ronda Bell looks on after an oak tree landed on her 100-year-old home as Hurricane Helene moved through Valdosta, Ga. (Mike Stewart/AP)
A Citrus County Firefighter carries 11-year-old Michael Cribbins while conducting rescues from floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Friday in Crystal River, Fla. (Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
The streets are flooded near Peachtree Creek after Hurricane Helene brought in heavy rains over night on Friday in Atlanta. (Megan Varner/Getty Images)
Residents are rescued from floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Friday in Crystal River, Fla. (Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Debris covers the street in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene at Harbor Lights Club mobile home park in Pinellas County, Fla., on Friday. (Tampa Bay Times via AP)
A boat rests on a street after being relocated during flooding caused by Hurricane Helene on Friday in Hudson, Fla. (Mike Carlson/AP)
Vehicles move slowly around trees that have fallen after Hurricane Helene moved through the area on Friday in Valdosta, Ga. (Mike Stewart/AP)
A capsized boat washes ashore as Hurricane Helene churns offshore on Thursday in St. Petersburg, Fla. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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"Them finding that dog yesterday was a bright spot in the middle of this chaos,” said a rescue official, nearly a week after the storm decimated the area.
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