Hurricane Helene leaves trail of destruction across southeast of US

Boats rest beside a restaurant after being pushed up by floodwaters from Hurricane Helene in St Petersburg, Florida (Mike Carlson/AP)

Massive rains from Hurricane Helene left people stranded, without shelter and awaiting rescue after the storm which killed at least 64 people, caused widespread destruction across the southeast of the US and knocked out power to millions of people.

Helene blew ashore in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane late on Thursday with winds of 140mph.