Washington, Oct. 10, (dpa/GNA) – More than 1 million people remain without power in the south-eastern United States after Hurricane Helene left a trail of devastation across six states last week.
Around 1.3 million people are still lacking electricity in the region, including almost 500,000 in South Carolina alone, data from the PowerOutage website showed.
The latest counts by US media outlets suggest that at least 162 people have died since the storm made landfall in north-western Florida on Thursday.
Authorities are responding to the catastrophic damage, with Georgia Governor Brian Kemp on Tuesday temporarily suspending the state’s petrol tax by executive order in order to relieve communities left dependent on fuel to power their homes.
US President Joe Biden is due to visit affected areas in the Carolinas on Wednesday, while Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate in November’s presidential election, is to visit the crucial battleground state of Georgia.
Harris’ Republican rival Donald Trump already visited parts of Georgia on Monday.
GNA