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Helene lands: 3 dead, more than 2 million without power

From Tim Harris and Jan Wesner Childs

less than an hour ago

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  • At least three people are known to have died in the storm.
  • Helene made landfall near Perry, Florida, late Thursday as a Category 4 hurricane.
  • Officials are reminding residents that it is best to stay indoors as flooding continues.

Hurricane Helene made landfall near Perry, Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, bringing devastating storm surges, high winds and heavy rain. At least three people died. Click here to see our coverage of yesterday's approach to the storm.

Here's the latest as the storm moved inland:

(5:50 a.m. ET) Dozens of rescue operations are underway in Crystal River

A reporter on the ground in Crystal River, Florida, reports that “dozens” of residents were rescued from their homes due to severe storm surge. Photos show residents being escorted by rescue workers, one of whom is carrying a dog.

(5:40 a.m. ET) Pinellas County 911 “Extremely Busy”

According to the Pinellas County, Florida Emergency Management Agency, 911 emergency responders are “extremely busy” responding to “hundreds of structure fire and water rescue calls in hard-hit areas.” The agency says many areas remain flooded.

(5:00 a.m. ET) North Carolina flood emergency

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper declared an official state of emergency and activated the National Guard and rapid water rescue teams.

(4:30 a.m. ET) 2.2 million plus without power

According to PowerOutages.us, approximately 1.2 million homes and businesses are without power in Florida alone. Georgia and South Carolina account for another 650,000 and 240,000 outages, respectively. Before Helene, the authorities had warned of longer power outages of up to a week in some of the most affected places.

(4:00 p.m. ET) Deaths confirmed in Florida and Georgia

Authorities have confirmed a storm-related death in Tampa, Florida, when a falling sign hit a car. Two more deaths occurred in Wheeler County, Georgia, when a mobile home was overturned by the storm.

By Vanessa

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