Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane about 11:10 p.m. ET near Perry, Florida, with 140 mph winds, the National Hurricane Center reported. At least 22 fatalities have been blamed on the hurricane so far, authorities said. Officials feared more fatalities would be discovered on Friday.

As dawn approached Friday morning, many around Tampa Bay awaited help as search and rescue teams worked to pull people from water-logged homes. The storm unleashed record storm surge, with communities from the beaches to St.

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.