Six states are under states of emergency as Tropical Storm Helene batters the Southeast after slamming into Florida’s Big Bend.

The storm made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane and although it has now weakened, torrential rains and ferocious winds have caused widespread damage to homes and infrastructure.

Storm watches and warnings are also in place for 60 million people in 12 states.

These states have declared emergencies:

Florida: Gov. Ron Desantis said 61 of Florida’s 67 counties are currently under a state of emergency.

Georgia: All 159 counties were placed under state of emergency, enabling emergency management teams to make necessary arrangements and position needed resources ahead of the storm’s arrival.

North Carolina: Gov. Roy Cooper warned “Helene is an unusually dangerous storm that threatens to bring heavy rain and potentially catastrophic flooding” on Thursday night though Friday for central and western parts of of the state.

South Carolina: Gov. Henry McMaster said: “We will likely avoid the brunt of this storm, but it is still expected to bring flooding, high winds, and isolated tornadoes.”

Alabama: President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for the state and ordered federal assistance to those affected by Helene.

Virginia: Gov. Glenn Youngkin said the state “cannot ignore the fact that we have had significant flooding events arise from pre-cursory rain events and outer bands from tropical systems that drop locally heavy rainfall leading to flooding, especially in our southwestern region.”

Emergency managers in Taylor County, Florida, are not messing around.

The officials, who oversee low-lying towns including Steinhatchee and Perry, posted Thursday afternoon on Facebook, asking all residents who chose not to evacuate to grab a permanent marker and write their name and date of birth on their leg.

The unspoken message: You will not survive this.

Officials also asked friends and relatives of people who did not evacuate to reach out and share their information, so search and rescue teams know where to focus their efforts when the storm passes.

At least 14 areas in Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina have recorded rainfall totals of at least 9 inches ahead of Helene’s landfall.

Sumatra, a community in Florida, saw at least 15.5” of rainfall between 8 a.m. Wednesday and 10 p.m. Thursday.

Anderson, a city in South Carolina with an approximate population of 29,980, saw 10.54” of rainfall in the same time period.

Areas that have received more than 9” of recorded rainfall between Wednesday morning and Thursday night are:

Sumatra, FL: 15.5”

Busick, NC: 13.74”

Lake Toxaway, NC: 13.73”

Connestee Falls, NC: 12.29”

Blowing Rock, NC: 12.28”

Wilma, FL: 11.94”

Crooked Creek, NC: 11.63”

Salem, SC: 11.12”

Gulf County Salinas Park, FL: 10.75”

Anderson, SC: 10.54”

Celo, NC: 9.76”

St George Island Lighthouse, FL: 9.32”

Apalachicola, FL: 9.2”

West Union, SC: 9.17”

As it made its historic landfall Thursday night, Helene was the strongest hurricane on record to slam into Florida’s Big Bend.

The storm — which has weakened from a Category 4 to a Category 1 — will continue to unleash life-threatening storm surge, flooding rainfall and destructive winds.

Helene has already had devastating impacts in Florida and Georgia: It’s led to at least three deaths, knocked down power lines and left more than 1.5 million in the dark, made traveling dangerous as roads are inundated with water, and disrupted emergency services in some counties.

“We’re fearing the worst when the sun comes up,” the sheriff’s office in Suwannee County, Florida, said. “We’re gonna need some prayers folks.”

Here’s how counties across Florida say they have been impacted by the sprawling storm:

Charlotte County: The emergency management office urged residents to stay off the roads because of widespread road flooding caused by storm surge. “There is no guarantee any road in the county will not have some level of flooding or dangerous debris during your trip,” the county said. The county said it removed personnel from the field due to the dangers posed by flooding, debris and high winds.

Citrus County: Water accumulated on roadways in the county, and an influx of storm surge through the night is expected, the sheriff’s office said, urging drivers to avoid roads with standing water.

Gadsden County: Downed trees and power lines were reported, the emergency services office said. Over 3,000 homes were without power as of early Friday morning.

Hillsborough County: The sheriff’s office said it was monitoring high water levels at an intersection, and asked drivers to seek an alternate route.

Levy County: The emergency management office halted emergency responses throughout the whole county “until such time that conditions are safe for our personnel to respond.”

Sarasota County: North and south bridges to the city of Siesta Key were made impassable by severe flooding, the sheriff’s office said. The office “urges those on the key to shelter in place safely until the water levels recede.”

Suwannee County: “Extreme destruction” was reported in the area, authorities said. Extensive damage was reported along the western side of the county, the sheriff’s office said. Trees fell on homes and there was severe structural damage. There were also many reports of trees and power lines down, causing “100% outages” throughout the county.

Pasco County: About 40 people have been rescued from rising water, according to the county Sheriff’s Office.

Hurricane Helene now has winds of 90 mph and is located about 30 miles north of Valdosta, Georgia, according to the 2 a.m. ET Thursday update from the National Hurricane Center.

The hurricane is moving quickly northeast at 26 mph and is expected to turn to the north overnight, bringing the storm’s center over central and northern Georgia Friday morning.

After that, Helene is expected to turn northwestward and slow down over the Tennessee Valley later today and Saturday.

“Although further weakening is expected, the fast forward speed will allow strong, damaging winds, especially in gusts, to penetrate well inland across the southeastern United States, including over the higher terrain of the southern Appalachians,” the hurricane center warned.

An automated station at Grassy Pond, Georgia, just south of Valdosta, recently reported a wind gust of 96 mph and the Savannah International Airport recently reported a wind gust of 75 mph.

Tornado watches remain in effect for nearly 20 million people across parts of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida through the next several hours.

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Man takes refuge in a kayak in his flooded living room

01:33 - Source: CNN

A man has resorted to navigating his home in a kayak after Hurricane Helene flooded his uninsured residence in Tampa Bay.

Matt Heller told CNN that he initially thought he wouldn’t be affected by the storm, but then the water level rose suddenly.

A video he posted on social media showed him paddling through a room in his house on a purple kayak as plants, appliances and furniture float around him.

He had experienced flooding at home but this is the “biggest, biggest flood” he has ever had, Heller added.

Heller later described himself as a “typical Florida Man” who had ridden out multiple storms throughout his life.

Hurricane Helene made landfall near Perry, Florida, as a Category 4 storm with 140 mph sustained winds and higher gusts.

It’s the strongest hurricane on record to slam into Florida’s Big Bend. Its ferocious winds and heavy rainfall can cause widespread power outages and flooding in the Southeast, where the ground is already saturated by the previous day’s storms.

But what do these categories mean?

Hurricanes are rated 1 through 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale based on their wind speed. Damage is exponential as wind speed increases, meaning a strong Category 3 storm could do up to 60 times as much damage as a weak Category 1 storm.

Here are the main risks you can expect with each category:

Category 1: 74-95 mph

Sustained winds are enough to blow shingles off roofs and damage gutters and vinyl siding. These winds also can uproot trees and bring down branches, causing power outages and more property damage. They can damage power lines, too.

Category 2: 96-110 mph

Winds this strong can cause as much as 20 times the damage as those of a Category 1 storm, including extensive damage to a home’s roof and siding.

Numerous trees and power lines will most likely be damaged, blocking roads, damaging property and knocking out power for days, if not weeks.

Category 3: 111-129 mph

Now in “major hurricane” territory, wind damage is much more widespread. Well-built homes and other buildings could suffer major damage, and roofs will sustain heavy damage. Numerous trees will be damaged or uprooted. Electricity and water could be shut off for several days.

Category 4: 130-156 mph

Catastrophic damage can result from these winds. Well-built homes will be heavily damaged, with most of the roof blown away. Trees and power lines will be down. Water and power services could be out for months, with the hardest-hit places uninhabitable for weeks.

Category 5: 157 mph or greater

These are the most powerful storms on Earth. Most well-built homes will be destroyed, and many will be stripped to the foundation. Power outages could last for months, and the areas hardest hit could be uninhabitable for months.

Tampa General Hospital, which houses some of the most critical patients in western Florida, put up a protective wall ahead of Hurricane Helene’s landfall to shield it from some of the storm’s impacts.

Dubbed “AquaFence,” the shield can withstand gusts of up to 130 mph and storm surges of up to 15 feet above sea level.

Dustin Pasteur, vice president of the hospital’s facilities and construction division, told CNN that up to 800 patients remained on site after they discharged less critical patients.

The hospital deployed 60 staff members to put up the wall over the course of three days.

Hurricane Helene will likely be a “historic inland flooding event” – and a deadly one, Jamie Rhome, deputy director of the National Hurricane Center, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper Thursday.

“Historically speaking, 50% of lives lost are in a setup like this,” Rhome said, referring to flooding in inland areas.

Rhome added if “our worst-case scenario materializes,” some areas of Florida’s Big Bend will see a 15-foot storm surge.

As the storm makes its way up to Georgia, residents there should be prepared to go long periods without power, he said. Heavily forested areas will likely see many trees downed and, in turn, widespread power outages.

“People have got to be ready to take care of themselves for several days without power,” Rhome said.