- Kane injured as Bayern and Leverkusen draw in Bundesliga
- US grabs 8-6 lead after Saturday four-balls at Presidents Cup
- Liverpool go top of Premier League after Man City held by Newcastle
- Salah sinks Wolves as Liverpool go top
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- Arteta happy with Arsenal's cool heads in late Leicester win
- SpaceX launches mission to return stranded astronauts
- Progress on high seas treaty, but change still far off
- Hundreds rally in France in defence of abortion rights
- Seven-try South Africa crush Argentina to become champions
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding as cleanup begins
- Russia's Lavrov warns Europe against 'suicidal escapade' in fiery speech
- Embattled Netanyahu buoyed by Hezbollah chief's killing: analysts
- Man City held without Rodri as Palmer's four-goal haul fires Chelsea
- Chelsea's Palmer hits four first-half goals to beat Brighton
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- In Acapulco and across Mexico, violence poses huge test for new president
- China warns against 'expansion' of Ukraine war
- 'Insane': Olympic champ Zheng joins Sabalenka in Beijing 3rd round
- Man City feel Rodri absence in Newcastle draw
- Israel kills Hezbollah chief in Beirut air strike
- England quick Archer cautiously optimistic after injury woes
- Sinner 'very disappointed' as doping case reignites with WADA appeal
- Hezbollah chief killed in Israeli strike on Beirut
- Hezbollah: powerful Lebanese armed group with regional role
- 59 dead in Nepal as downpours trigger floods
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- Sinner 'surprised' as doping case reignites with WADA appeal
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- Israel says it killed Hezbollah chief in Beirut strike
- Ukraine says nine killed in Russian strikes on hospital
- WADA appeals, seeks ban as Sinner doping case reignites
- Sri Lanka scent series victory as New Zealand 129-5 after follow-on
- Clarke's two tries help All Blacks to 33-13 win over Wallabies
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Israel says it 'eliminated' Hezbollah chief in Beirut strike
- FIFA ban Argentina goalkeeper Martinez for 'offensive behaviour'
- Bagnaia halves Martin's MotoGP lead with Indonesia sprint win
- WADA appeals, seeks ban after Sinner cleared in doping case
- WADA appeals after tennis No.1 Sinner cleared in doping case
- Hezbollah chief's fate uncertain as Israel pounds Lebanon
- Jayasuriya takes 6-42 as New Zealand collapse to 88 all out
- Thousands bid farewell to Tokyo zoo pandas before return to China
- Israeli strikes pound Hezbollah's south Beirut bastion
- Austria Greens leave transport pass as legacy ahead of vote
Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding as cleanup begins
Millions of Americans were still without power and many faced torrential flooding on Saturday, authorities said, as powerful storm Helene rumbled across eastern and midwestern US states, leaving at least 44 people dead.
At least 19 people died in South Carolina, 15 in Georgia, seven in Florida, two in North Carolina and one in Virgina, according to updated reports from local authorities tallied by AFP.
Repair crews were already at work after Helene slammed into Florida late Thursday as a Category 4 hurricane and surged north, gradually weakening but leaving a path of rare devastation.
"Conditions will continue to improve today following the catastrophic flooding over the past two days," said the National Weather Service.
But it warned of possible "long-duration power outages."
Though power has been restored in some areas, more than three million customers were still without electricity across 10 states as of midday Saturday, according to tracker poweroutage.us.
- 'Move to higher ground' -
Helene originally slammed into Florida's northern Gulf shore with powerful winds of 140 miles (225 kilometers) per hour. Even as a weakened post-tropical cyclone, it has wreaked havoc.
Record levels of flooding threatened to breach dams, with one dam in Tennessee on the verge of failure, authorities said, urging residents to move to higher ground.
Massive flooding was reported in Asheville, a city in western North Carolina. Governor Ray Cooper called it "one of the worst storms in modern history" to hit his state.
In Cedar Key, an island city of 700 people just off Florida's northwest coast, the full destructive force of the hurricane was on view.
Several pastel-colored wooden homes were destroyed, victims of record storm surges and ferocious winds.
"I've lived here my whole life, and it breaks my heart to see it. We've not really been able to catch a break," said Gabe Doty, a Cedar Key official, referring to two earlier hurricanes in the past year.
- 'Gut punch' -
In South Carolina the dead included two firefighters and six residents of Spartanburg County, officials said.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp's office confirmed 15 deaths in his state, including an emergency responder.
Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida said the damage from Helene exceeded that of hurricanes Idalia and Debby, which both hit the same region southeast of Tallahassee in the last 13 months.
"It's a real gut punch to those communities," DeSantis told Fox News.
In the Tennessee town of Erwin, a dramatic rescue operation unfolded, as more than 50 patients and staff trapped on a hospital roof by surging floodwaters had to be rescued by helicopters.
Up to 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain was forecast in the Appalachian mountains, with isolated spots receiving 20 inches.
Remnants of the weakened storm were hovering at midday Saturday over the Kentucky-Indiana border, bringing up to 2 inches of rain.
- 'Overwhelming' damage -
In a statement Saturday, President Joe Biden called Helene's devastation "overwhelming." He said he was sending additional response personnel as the storm tracks north.
Vice President Kamala Harris said the administration had already mobilized 1,500 personnel to support impacted communities.
September has been an unusually wet month around the world, with scientists linking some extreme weather events to human-caused global warming.
C.Meier--BTB