Hurricane Helene Leaves Nearly a Million in South Carolina Without Power

Hurricane Helene has left approximately 894,495 customers without power in South Carolina, leading to nearly 2.5 million outages across the Southeast. The storm has caused significant flooding and damages estimated between $15 to $26 billion. Power restoration is underway, with Duke Energy estimating a completion timeframe by Sunday night.

Hurricane Helene has left nearly one million residents in South Carolina without power after making landfall in Florida on Thursday morning. As of 12:30 p.m. ET, there were approximately 894,495 power outages reported in South Carolina, marking it as the state experiencing the greatest number of outages due to the hurricane. This was followed by Georgia with 671,367 outages, and North Carolina with 547,630 outages. In total, the storm has resulted in power outages affecting nearly 2.5 million homes and businesses across the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, and Virginia. The storm has also caused unprecedented flooding in various regions and is estimated to have inflicted property damages ranging between $15 billion and $26 billion, particularly impacting Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. In terms of power restoration efforts, Duke Energy has indicated that residents outside the western areas of the Carolinas can expect their electricity to be restored by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday night, although it is anticipated that many will regain power before that time. This restoration work commenced even prior to Helene’s departure from the Carolinas on Friday afternoon. Hurricane Helene initially made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane before it diminished into a tropical depression while traversing through the Southeast. Tragically, at least 61 fatalities have been reported across the five affected states, as noted by the Weather Channel.

Hurricane Helene has significantly impacted the southeastern United States, particularly affecting the Carolinas, Georgia, and parts of Florida and Virginia. The storm’s path resulted in catastrophic flooding and substantial property damage. It is noteworthy that power restoration initiatives are ongoing, aiming to alleviate the hardships faced by residents due to the extensive power outages.

In summary, Hurricane Helene has caused widespread power outages affecting nearly a million South Carolinians, with steep property damages across multiple states. Emergency services, led by power companies like Duke Energy, are diligently working to restore electricity, while the effects of the storm continue to be mitigated.

Original Source: www.usatoday.com