At least 38 people were confirmed killed in five states since the storm made landfall late Thursday as a Category 4 behemoth, unleashing record-breaking storm surge and tree-snapping gusts.
The toll from the tempest is likely to rise, authorities cautioned, once flooding subsides and rescuers finish wading through the wreckage.
Strong winds and torrential rain were expected to continue Saturday across the Southeast and southern Appalachians, a particularly threatening prospect for hillside communities already pummeled by days of downpours.
Helene's intensity was fueled in part by record high water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico, which have warmed over time because of human-caused climate change.
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