**Hurricane Helene Causes Devastation: 11 Dead, Millions Without Power**

South Carolina Governor is expected to give an update on the hurricane shortly. Meanwhile, the aftermath of Hurricane Helene continues to unfold, bringing significant damage and fatalities across Georgia and surrounding areas. The powerful storm, which initially made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in the Florida Big Bend area, has left a trail of destruction.

According to the National Hurricane Center, Helene made landfall near Perry, Florida at 11:10 p.m. on Thursday, with winds reaching at least 140 mph. The hurricane's intense wind speeds categorized it as an "extremely dangerous" storm. Later, Helene weakened and was downgraded to a tropical storm by early Friday morning.

In Georgia, Governor Kemp has confirmed that the disaster has resulted in the deaths of 11 individuals, including a first responder. The fatalities took place across several counties: two each in Wheeler, Jeff Davis, and Laurens counties, and one in Liberty County.

The storm's impact was felt well beyond the loss of lives. Valdosta officials reported that 115 structures were heavily damaged, trapping multiple people inside. Emergency crews are still working to access various affected buildings.

By Friday morning, widespread power outages affected over 1 million customers in Georgia and more than 1.3 million in South Carolina. To address this crisis, Georgia Power has deployed approximately 10,000 crew members, with additional support from EMC’s thousands of personnel working on the ground.

Furthermore, Helene’s destructive forces led to infrastructure collapses and road closures. In downtown Savannah, part of a building on Broughton Street, where the Ordinary Pub is located, collapsed. Similarly, Varnadore's Auto Parts' building in Hazlehurst also suffered partial collapse. The Georgia Department of Transportation reported 152 road closures, including portions of I-16 in Laurens County and I-20 near Augusta in McDuffie County.

The severe weather also forced much of Southeast Georgia and the South Carolina Lowcountry under a tornado watch, although the storm has since moved away from these regions. The community is now focusing on recovery efforts as emergency responders continue their search and rescue operations.

As the situation develops, more updates are anticipated from officials and emergency services, providing further details on this devastating event.