**Hurricane Helene Devastates Gulf Coast and Southern States, Leaving Millions Without Power**

Hurricane Helene struck Florida’s Big Bend region, wreaking havoc across the Gulf Coast communities before moving into southern Georgia. The storm, which is responsible for at least 40 fatalities, caused severe damage in Cedar Key and other areas.

The mammoth storm weakened to a tropical depression over the Carolinas by Friday afternoon, with maximum sustained winds dropping to 30 mph (48 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center. At this time, Helene was situated approximately 125 miles (205 kilometers) southeast of Louisville, Kentucky, and is expected to continue weakening as it travels north.

Helene's landfall late Thursday took place near the mouth of the Aucilla River with winds estimated at 140 mph (225 kph), around 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of Hurricane Idalia’s landing point last year.

Evacuations were underway on Friday in Western North Carolina, including areas in Haywood County, west of Asheville, such as Cruso, Clyde, Canton, and lower-lying parts of Waynesville. Travel disruptions were extensive, with airports in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Lakeland, and Tallahassee reopening after temporary closures. Tampa International Airport faced 130 flight cancellations within 24 hours. Meanwhile, Atlanta and Charlotte airports reported high numbers of flight cancellations and delays, affecting hundreds of flights.

Inspectors were busy Friday morning checking Florida’s Gulf Coast bridges and causeways. Approximately 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) of roadways have been cleared of debris, but precautions are necessary due to the storm surge impacts.

By 2:30 p.m. Friday, around 4.2 million people spread across Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee were without power, with North and South Carolina hardest hit, each experiencing over 1 million outages. Florida had more than 840,000, and Georgia nearly 950,000 without electricity.

In South Carolina, nearly 45% of homes and businesses were without power, with whole counties affected. Major roads into Greenwood, a city roughly 65 miles (105 kilometers) west of Columbia, were blocked by debris. Linemen crews are positioned and ready to begin power restoration efforts once the winds subside.