Hurricane Helene is one of the most powerful storms to hit the United States with wind gust speeds of 140 mph (225 km/h).
The storm made landfall in Florida as a category four hurricane but was downgraded to a tropical storm as it moved more inland.
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@SiliconBassist/X via REUTERS Across the region many would wake to find damage from flooding.
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Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesThe main street of Tarpon Springs in Florida was flooded.
Tampa Bay Times/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/ShutterstockThis mobile home in the the Harbor Lights Club has been badly damaged by the storm and many power lines are down.
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Lee County Sheriff’s Office/Handout via REUTERSEmergency teams, like these Marine deputies, were on hand to rescue those who required assistance.
Below an airboat transports residents rescued from flood waters due to storm surge in Crystal River.
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US Coast Guard/Handout via REUTERSOff the coast a man and his dog were rescued by the US Coast Guard, while in St Petersburg a capsized boat washed ashore.
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Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty ImagesEven before its arrival, the storm had caused power outages for more than 1 million people and severe flooding in several areas.
Trucks belonging to Duke Energy were pictured in line waiting to repair damage once the Hurricane has passed.
Octavio Jones/ReutersAhead of the Hurricane many residents moved to shelters like this one at a school in Tallahassee.
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Cristóbal Herrera/EPA-EFEPresident Joe Biden and state authorities had urged people to heed official evacuation warnings before Helene hit, though some chose to stay in their homes to wait out the storm.
People boarded up windows and prepared their property as best they could.
Cristóbal Herrera/EPA-EFEThose who chose to stay stocked up with food to wait out the storm.
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