ATLANTA — At least 15 people have died in Georgia from causes related to Hurricane Helene, according to Garrison Douglas, a spokesperson for Gov. Brian Kemp.
Hurricane Helene weakened into a tropical depression on Friday after making landfall overnight in northwestern Florida as a Category 4 storm. The storm has been blamed for at least 40 deaths.
Deaths in Georgia
Among those tragically killed in Georgia when Helene swept through the state early Friday morning was firefighter Vernon "Leon" Davis. The Pierce County Fire Department reported that he was killed while trying to save others in the storm in Blackshear, Georgia.
"We know that one of those is a first responder," he said Friday, "and one of our finest has lost his life trying to save others."
A 4-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl from Washington County in central Georgia were killed in the wake of Helene, when a tree in the backyard fell on a home where the children were in the bedroom.
Kemp announced early Friday morning that two people died in Wheeler County. The county's coroner said the pair were killed when a suspected tornado blew through the area in Middle Georgia, overturning their mobile home. They were found about 100 yards from their home, according to Wheeler County EMA.
Two others have been reported dead in Laurens County, according to reporting by 11Alive's sister station First Coast News. One death is being attributed to a vehicle crash.
11Alive is still working to learn the identities of all the victims from Helene.
Helene severely damaged Georgia’s utility infrastructure, electrical group says
An electrical utility group is warning of “catastrophic” damage to Georgia’s utility infrastructure by Hurricane Helene.
The Georgia Electric Membership Corp., which represents the state’s electric cooperatives, says that the hurricane damaged more than 100 high-voltage transmission lines and that more than 60 substations were out of service Friday morning.
Without transmission lines and substations, the cooperatives can’t feed electricity to homes and businesses. The group warned Friday that “there will be extensive delays in total restoration” and told customers, especially those who rely on electric power for medical needs, to make temporary arrangements.
Of the more than 1 million Georgia electricity customers without power on Friday afternoon, more than 400,000 were customers of cooperatives. Restoration for customers of those utilities in rural areas can take much longer because customers are far apart.
More Hurricane Helene impacts
The first death due to Hurricane Helene was reported in Tampa, when a sign fell on the road and hit a driver's car.
Authorities continue to rescue people trapped by floodwaters and millions were without power across much of the southeastern U.S.
Helene came ashore amid warnings from the National Hurricane Center that the enormous system could create a “nightmare” storm surge.