Hurricane Helene, the strongest storm to ever hit Florida's Big Bend region, according to authorities, has left at least 11 people dead in the state as it swept through with devastating winds and catastrophic flooding. The Category 4 storm made landfall Thursday night, triggering a massive rescue and recovery effort as communities work to rebuild.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis confirmed the death toll on Saturday, with several fatalities in Pinellas County due to drowning. Rescue operations remain underway in the hardest-hit areas, with nearly 4,000 National Guardsmen deployed across 21 counties to assist.
