The death toll from Hurricane Helene currently stands at at least 162, making it, according to , the second-deadliest hurricane to hit the US mainland over the past five decades. Deaths have been reported in six states: North Carolina (73), South Carolina (36), Georgia (25), Florida (17), Tennessee (9), and Virginia (2). CNN reports that the only hurricane to beat Helene by that measure is Katrina, which killed at least 1,392 people in 2005.
(The death toll was originally 1,833 but was adjusted downward years later, reports.) has a list of the deadliest US hurricanes that notes Hurricane Sandy killed more than 200 people in 2012, but fewer than 100 of those deaths were on the US mainland, per , which adds that Helene's death toll is likely to continue climbing. (More stories.
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