Helene tracker: Hurricane kills 64, millions left without power after catastrophic storm

The threat of a possible dam collapse in Tennessee has eased, authorities said Saturday, following an emergency inspection.

Around midnight, the Tennessee Valley Authority had issued an emergency warning that the Nolichucky Dam could fail at any time. An update later Saturday said the Nolichucky River had crested 8 feet (2.4 meters) from previous record levels and was retreating about 1 foot (0.3 meters) per hour.

“Our dam safety teams are assessing the condition of the dam to determine the next steps,” TVA published on X.

Joe Biden officially declared a state of emergency in the state of Tennessee and ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local response efforts due to emergency conditions resulting from Tropical Storm Helene, the White House announced on Saturday.

The President’s action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts aimed at alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency to the public local.

It also authorizes appropriate assistance for emergency measures required to save lives and protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avoid the threat of a disaster.

A Fox meteorologist sprang into action during a live broadcast early Friday morning to save a woman trapped in her car amid deadly Category 4 Hurricane Helene.

Additional precipitation is expected this weekend in parts of the southern Appalachian region, according to the National Weather Service.

Additional precipitation of up to an inch of rain is expected in areas of western North Carolina, including Asheville, which saw severe destruction and flooding.

East Tennessee, including Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, will see similar levels and up to two inches are possible for parts of Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania until to Monday.

“Although precipitation amounts will be light, areas that received excessive precipitation from Helene may experience an isolated bout of excessive runoff,” the National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg office said Saturday morning.

The death toll from Hurricane Helene has reached at least 52, according to an Associated Press tally.

Among those killed in the storm were three firefighters, a woman and her one-month-old twins, and an 89-year-old woman whose home was struck by a falling tree.

According to the AP, the deaths occurred in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

The village of Asheville, North Carolina, was hit by significant flooding in the wake of Helene.

Images shared online showed buildings completely submerged in water, with residents forced onto their roofs. Several casualties were reported locally.

Despite a slowdown in Hélène on Saturday, some 3.1 million customers found themselves without electricity in the southeast on Saturday.

Customers were left in the dark in areas including South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Florida and Ohio, according to PowerOutage.us.