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Helene flooding is 'catastrophic natural disaster' in Western NC (2024)

Related Topics: Hurricane Helene

Editor's Note: This page is a summary of news on Hurricane Helene for Saturday, Sept. 28. For the latest news, view our live updates file for Sunday, Sept. 29.

Dozens were killed. Hospital-goers scrambled to rooftops to be whisked away in helicopters. Mayors frantically told citizens to flee. And inmates were desperately removed from a jail directly in the path of floodwaters.

These were among countless harrowing moments as Helene brought a cascade of destruction across the Southeast. The record-breaking storm hit Florida as a hurricane with wind speeds of 140 mph that flattened buildings.