At least 20 people have died after flooding and mudslides from Storm Helene caused destruction from Florida to North Carolina. 

The flood has spread across much of North Carolina as parts of Florida’s Gulf Coast remain underwater and three other states. 

As for the death toll, seven of the deaths were in Florida, 11 in Georgia, and two in North Carolina.

The destruction from Tropical Storm Helene stretched nearly 800 miles from South Florida into the mountains of Appalachina. 

The huge storm spawned flash floods and mudslides on its dash inland after bashing the Gulf Coast. 

At least, more than two million people were under flash flood across North Carolina, warnings at midday Friday.

Following the disaster, more than 800 U.S. flights were cancelled, and more than 2,400 flights were delayed on Friday afternoon. 

Also, the densely populated Tampa Bay region, the neighbourhood, had been underwater following the storm surge.

Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina, who noted that the storm is one of the worst in history, warned of a “life-threatening flash flooding” along with landslides and power outages because of downed trees, particularly in the foothills and mountains in the western part of the state.

“With the rain that they had already been experiencing before Helene’s arrival, this is one of the worst storms in modern history for parts of western North Carolina,” Mr Cooper said. 

Another city, Perry, which is about 7,000 some 50 miles southeast of Tallahassee, got a direct hit from Helene as roofs tore off and windows blew in. 

Trees were also down or snapped like matchsticks on a road into town even as electrical poles had fallen, some of them broken in half. 

Flash flood and tropical storm warnings were active throughout northeast Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Virginia.

According to National Hurricane Centre data, Helene is tied as the 14th most powerful hurricane to hit anywhere in the U.S. since records have been kept and the seventh most powerful to slam into Florida.