A Georgia mom and her twin babies were among at least 40 killed in Hurricane Helene’s devastating wake as the storm pounded the Deep South with floods, harsh winds and falling trees Friday.
The family lived in McDuffie County, Ga., near Augusta, officials said. Their names and cause of death weren’t immediately clear.
The fatalities came after the storm made landfall as a catastrophic category 4 hurricane in Florida Thursday, soaking the region with torrential rainfall and life-threatening winds.
One of the largest storms ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico, Helene slammed Florida’s Big Bend with winds of 140 mph before it was downgraded to a tropical depression Friday afternoon, according to the National Hurricane Center.
As the hurricane raged, a couple was killed in Wheeler County, near Macon, as strong winds overturned their mobile home.