South-eastern US reels from the havoc caused by Helene

No electricity for four million across 10 states as death toll from hurricane continues to climb

The authorities across a wide swathe of the south-eastern US faced the daunting task on Sept 28 of cleaning up from Hurricane Helene, one of the most powerful to hit the country, as the death toll continued to rise.

At least 44 deaths were reported in the early hours of Sept 28, and officials feared more bodies would be discovered across several states. Helene, downgraded late on Sept 27 to a post-tropical cyclone, continued to produce heavy rain across several states, sparking massive flooding that threatened to create dam failures that could inundate entire towns.

In Florida's Pinellas County near Tampa, Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said he had never seen destruction like that which Helene wrought.

“I would just describe it, having spent the last few hours out there, as a war zone,” Mr Gualtieri told a press conference.