Fallen trees are blamed for at least five of the deaths, including Christine Schmeiske of Anderson, who was trapped in her house under heavy debris

Tropical Storm Warning remains in effect for, Spartanburg, Anderson and surrounding counties, according to the-Spartanburg NWS.

Helene made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region Thursday night as a massive Category 4 hurricane -- the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the Big Bend on record.

Helene is to blame for four deaths across South Carolina — including a pair of volunteer firefighters in Saluda County, Gov. Henry McMaster said Friday. The storm also brought historic damage to utility systems and knocked out power to nearly a quarter of the state’s population.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Power outages in South Carolina are extensive due to Tropical Storm Helene's track through the southeastern U.S. The storm's those tropical storm force winds, coupled with rain that soaked the ground a day earlier, toppled trees and power lines in some of the most widespread damage the central South Carolina area has ever seen.

At least 40 people have died after Hurricane Helene slammed into the south-eastern United States as a dangerous Category 4 storm, before later weakening to a tropical depression by Friday afternoon. The deaths were reported in US media across the states of Georgia,

Tropical Storm Warning remains in effect for Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson and surrounding counties, according to the Greenville-Spartanburg NWS.