Hurricane Helene killed 40 people and left millions without power as it roared the southeast. The National Hurricane Center downgraded the storm to a post-tropical cyclone on Friday evening.
Helene reached maximum sustained winds of 140 mph when it made landfall late Thursday in Florida’s rural Big Bend area. The area is home to fishing villages and vacation homes. Property damage has been estimated to be between $15 billion to $26 billion, according to Moody’s Analytics.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said there are 4.4 million power outages in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. More than 50,000 utility personnel from 27 states are being sent to the affected areas.