Officials feared more fatalities would be discovered on Friday. The storm, which now marks the first known Category 4 storm to hit Florida’s Big Bend region since records began in 1851, weakened to a tropical storm Friday morning as it barreled through Georgia,

Helene roared ashore Florida's Big Bend region as one of the most powerful storms to hit the United States, with officials fearing the hurricane would leave a trail of deaths and widespread destruction as it moved inland.