Energy facilities along the U.S. Gulf Coast reduced operations and evacuated production sites as Hurricane Helene, initially a Category 4 storm, made landfall before weakening to a tropical storm. Helene roared ashore in Florida's Big Bend region as one of the most powerful storms to hit the United States,

A catastrophic and deadly storm surge is likely along portions of the Florida Big Bend coast, where inundation could reach as high as 20 feet.

Helene roared ashore Florida's Big Bend region as one of the most powerful storms to hit the United States, with officials fearing the hurricane would leave a trail of deaths and widespread destruction as it moved inland.

Hurricane Helene is one of the biggest storm systems to hit the U.S. See how it compares to other past hurricanes and tropical storms in the Gulf Coast.

Now that Helene has weakened, the National Hurricane Center is tracking Isaac, Joyce and 2 other systems. One is near the Gulf of Mexico.

Hurricane warnings and flash flood warnings extended far beyond the coast up into northern Georgia and western North Carolina, with heavy rains and strong winds reported in much of Florida and Georgia Thursday evening.

Hurricane Helene has strengthened into a Category 4 storm as it races toward northwest Florida and causes flooding on the Gulf Coast and power outages inland.