Devastating Footage Emerges From US South Amid Severe Flooding & Potential Dam Failures

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Hurricane Helene battered Florida's Big Bend region and the Southeastern US as the week drew to a close. Authorities have confirmed at least 44 deaths spanning five states, with fears that number could rise further amid severe flooding and potential dam failures. 

Over 3 million power outages have been reported across the US South, with most outages in the Carolinas. The storm dumped nearly 30 inches of rain in Busick, North Carolina. 

Meteorologist Ben Noll wrote on X that 4-5 months of rain fell in less than 72 hours across upstate South Carolina and western North Carolina. 

Bloomberg estimates the widespread damages across the US South could top $100 billion. 

"It has been over 100 years" since the region was hit by flooding this severe, Brian Hurley, a senior branch forecaster with the US Weather Prediction, told Bloomberg, adding, "For some of those areas you have to go back, no doubt, over 100 years, for some it could be into the 300-year range."

On Saturday morning, the Department of Transportation in North Carolina told all residents through the western part of the state that "all roads in the region should be considered closed." 

"Motorists should not travel in this area, should not attempt to drive through standing water, and must respect barricades and road closure signs," NCDOT wrote on its travel advisory website. 

On Friday, the National Weather Service issued a warning that a failure at Lake Lure Dam was "IMMINENT" and that anybody downstream should get to higher ground immediately.

Authorities in the area about two hours west of Charlotte told residents that engineers had examined the dam late Friday evening and lifted "imminent" failure. 

Flooding scenes from the area are devastating. 

Whoa. 

Early Saturday, the Nolichucky Dam in eastern Tennessee was on the brink of failure. Authorities urged the residents downstream to evacuate immediately.

Helene's large path of destruction across the eastern US could be in the tens of billions, if not much higher.

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