Hurricane Helene. The St. Pete Pier, Tampa Bay, Florida, hours before Hurricane Helene made landfall, September 26, 2024. Hurricane Helene slammed into Florida’s Big Bend region late Thursday, bringing catastrophic storm surges which have destoyed buildings. Martha Asencio-Rhine Tampa Bay Times

Heavy rainfall and severe flooding are hammering inland communities across the Southeast. Hurricane Helene crashed ashore late Thursday night in the Florida Panhandle as one of the strongest hurricane landfalls in American history.

Follow live updates on Helene here. Hurricane Helene forged a devastating path of floods and wind damage after slamming into Florida’s Big Bend region on Thursday night, submerging much of the state’s Gulf Coast before continuing its destructive march through Georgia and into the mountains of Appalachia.