Deadly Tropical Storm Helene triggers floods, power outages

Published

1 year ago

September 27, 2024

Hurricane Helene weakened to a tropical storm after making landfall in Florida, but officials warned the storm remained “dangerous” as it moved inland. Around 20 people have died in four states.

Tropical Storm Helene barreled across the southeastern United States on Friday, killing around 20 people and causing widespread destruction and flooding.

Helene crossed Florida’s northwest coast as a Category 4 hurricane on Thursday with windspeeds of 140 miles per hour (225 kilometers per hour), generating a massive storm surge and cutting off power to millions of homes in multiple states.

Helene later weakened to a tropical storm, but officials warned the storm continued to be “extremely dangerous” as it moved to the Carolinas and Georgia.

At least 11 people died in Georgia alone. Governor Brian Kemp said dozens of people were still trapped in damaged buildings.

Authorities were “having a hard time getting to places” so teams with chainsaws were “working to free up roads,” Kemp told a news conference.

Helene caused widespread damage and left 4 million homes and businesses without power
© Ken Ruinard/The Anderson Independent Mail/USA TODAY NETWORK/REUTERS

At least six people died in South Carolina, two in Florida and two in North Carolina. Cities as far inland as Atlanta, Georgia, were hit with flooding from the heavy downpour. In North Carolina, residents near Lake Lure Dam were urged to evacuate to escape an “imminent” dam failure.

The US National Hurricane Center warned residents to shelter from “catastrophic winds,” storm surge and rainfall. “This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation,” the center said.

Helene one of largest storms ever to hit Gulf Coast

Helene was unusually large for a Gulf of Mexico hurricane.

Airports in the Florida cities of Tampa, Tallahassee and St. Petersburg remained closed early Friday, while hundreds of flights in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Atlanta, Georgia, were delayed or canceled, according to the tracking website FlightAware.com.

More than 4 million homes and businesses were without power in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina on Friday morning.

The governors of those states as well as Alabama and Virginia all declared emergencies.

The storm brought heavy rains that left neighborhoods underwater
© Paola Chiomante/REUTERS

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis mobilized the National Guard and ordered thousands of personnel to ready for search-and-rescue operations.

In Georgia, Governor Kemp also mobilized an additional 1,000 National Guard troops, on top of the 500 he mobilized earlier.

More than 55 million Americans were under some form of weather alert or warning from Hurricane Helene
© Joe Raedle/Getty Images

US President Joe Biden urged people to heed official evacuation warnings.

“I urge everyone in and near the path of Helene to listen to local officials and follow evacuation warnings,” he said. “Take this seriously, and be safe.”

Where is Helene headed next?

On Friday morning, Helene was moving north with windspeeds of 45 miles per hour (75 kilometers per hour), the National Hurricane Center in Miami reported.

Forecasters said the storm would continue to weaken as it moves into Tennessee and Kentucky.

Helene is expected to bring heavy rain to the Appalachian Mountains, potentially triggering mudslides and flash flooding.

Helene was the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began in June.

mfi,kb/msh (AFP, AP)

The man who tackled a gunman to the floor and saved people from getting sh0t at Bondi Beach in Australia has been identified as Ahmed al Ahmed.

Published

58 minutes ago

December 14, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

The man who tackled a gunman to the floor and saved people from getting sh0t at Bondi Beach in Australia has been identified as Ahmed al Ahmed.

He was shot during the incident and is currently recuperating in a hospital.

Meanwhile the two gunmen who k!lled over 9 people during the attack were neutralised.

NB: This page does not support violence and this is just a news report.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSQXFGajEFV/?igsh=M295eGdiNGVtbHBn

🎥 @7newsaustralia

Female Student Missing For 8 Days Found Chilling At Boyfriend’s House

Published

1 hour ago

December 14, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

A fresh controversy erupted online after a female student, missing for eight days, was found at her boyfriend’s house.

‎Details of the incident were shared by a classmate of the lady, identified as @folaaaa on X (formerly Twitter).

According to @folaaaa, her classmate’s parents are of age, and the father disclosed that he is currently 70 years old.

Prior to her being found, her last WhatsApp activity was on Monday, December 8, 2025.

Read Tweet Below…..

My coursemate was reported missing by her parents yesterday. They said they could not reach her for like 8 days. We did our research she was last seen online on Monday. They sha did perfect investigation with the oga olopa and they found out she was with her man”.

Meanwhile, the tweet which has garned over 400,000 views has been flooded with reactions from X users.

Dam Dam stated, “Dem suppose arrest Her and her man. Make dem sleep inside cell for a week. Imagine giving your parents so much headache and eventually you are with a man,at least call them and let them know you are safe wherever you are”.

PP the art, “The number of people that had shared and reshared “missing girl” on my WhatsApp cl was crazy. my friend was telling me this just now and i was so shocked”.

‎Jimmy, “Same thing happened in my department while i was in year 1,fliers were made they even interrogated her male friends.these went on for the whole of the semester only to find out she reads the class group messages and sees the missing fliers. She then later said she’s with her man”.

‎Bhetty, “She went to see a man and she didn’t take her parents’ call?Make she sleep cell for 3 days”.

See below…..

“It took me getting married and giving birth to realise marriage benefits men more” — Woman shares emotional thoughts

Published

6 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

A woman has stirred serious conversations online after opening up about how marriage and motherhood changed her perspective on life.

In a heartfelt reflection, she said it was only after getting married and giving birth that she began questioning who marriage truly benefits.

According to her, women often carry the heavier load — emotionally, physically, and mentally.

She explained that marriage can make women feel like tools, responsible for cooking, cleaning, caring for the home, and even contributing financially, while still bearing the full weight of pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare.

She questioned why something described as a “blessing” should come with so much pain, stress, sleepless nights, and emotional strain for women.

In her words, childbirth comes with intense pain, followed by years of responsibility that largely fall on the woman, while many men continue life almost unchanged.

She admitted she never strongly pushed for marriage herself and only went along with it after family pressure. It was the lived experience — not theory — that opened her eyes.

While she made it clear that she loves her son deeply and finds joy in him, she said motherhood also forced her to confront uncomfortable truths about expectations placed on women.

📹: TT/mummychika1

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSP0XSnjAvd/?igsh=MTd3ZzdlbWI0dHV1Nw==