Hurricane Helene live: At least 42 dead as two towns under evacuation orders over dams at risk of failure

After hitting the East Coast on Thursday night, Hurricane Helene, now a post-tropical cyclone, made its way toward Kentucky, forcing thousands of residents there to lose power, according to poweroutage.us.

Wind gusts reached 50 to 60 mph and several residents across the state reported fallen trees and other damage, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported. In Central Kentucky, two schools — Christ the King School and Lexington Catholic High School — sent students home early.

Governor Andy Beshear has declared a state of emergency in eight counties, including Boyd, Breathitt, Clark, Clay, Lee, Letcher, Magoffin and Wolfe. Four cities are also under a state of emergency. They are: Ashland, Catlettsburg, Clay City and Winchester.

Flooding has potentially put infrastructure at risk in East Tennessee, the agency confirmed in a X post.

“Please use extreme caution if you must travel,” the statement reads. “We stand with these communities and our partners as we continue to work together to get through this traumatic time.”

Olivia Stewman, the Lake Lure town manager, said a structural engineer found the dam in “stable condition,” despite reports it had been damaged earlier on Friday, NBC News reported. The dam lost power early Friday, but power has been restored.

Pinellas County Utilities will restrict potable water service on the barrier islands from John’s Pass south to Fort De Soto starting at 8pmdue to storm-related damages and flooding. 

The county said the issue will pose a health and safety risk to all residents and businesses in the area for the next several days.

“We are asking any residents who have not yet evacuated to do so now,” the county said.

Governor Glenn Youngkin said one person in southwestern Virginia died after a tree fell and building collapsed in Craig County.

Tennessee Emergency Management Agency is confirming the Walters Dam near Newport has not failed. Still, Cocke County residents are being ordered to evacuate.

Northeast Tennessee continues to be impacted by flooding. People living in a flood prone area should find higher ground, evacuate if they are told to, and stay informed of the evolving situation, the agency said.

Vernon “Leon” Davis, the Blackshear Fire Department’s assistant chief, died when a tree fell on his city truck shortly before 1.30 am Friday, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Poweroutage.us is reporting 568,861 are without power in the sunshine state nearly 24 hours after Hurricane Helene made landfall.

Five people are reported dead in Spartanburg County.

Spartanburg County Corner Rusty Clevenger said he couldn’t remember another storm that had caused as many deaths as Helene, The Post and Courier reports.

A 27-year-old mother and her two 1-month-old twins were killed when trees fell on their house in Thomson, Georgia McDuffie County Coroner Paul Johnson told the AP.

The coroner said an 89-year-old woman was killed when trees fell on her house elsewhere in the same county.