4-Year-Old Girl and a Firefighter Among Hurricane Helene Victims Identified, as Death Toll Continues to Rise

Mar. 15, 2025

People walk in the wind and rain next to Tampa Bay as Hurricane Helene churns offshore on September 26, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Florida.Photo:Joe Raedle/Getty

Joe Raedle/Getty

New details have emerged about the victims ofHurricane Helene, which made landfall as a Category 4 storm late on Thursday, Sept. 26.

Among those killed in the storm include first responder Vernon “Leon” Davis, an assistant chief with the Blackshear Fire Department, who had been responding to calls and helping to clear out downed trees and power lines when a tree fell on his truck around 1:30 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 27, according toNBC News,First Coast NewsandThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution(AJC).

Blackshear Police Chief Christopher Wright described Davis to NBC News as “one of the greatest folks that Blackshear had," adding, “We’re all better for having known him. He would do anything for anybody.”

A 2-year-old toddler and a 12-year-old also in the vehicle were hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, the outlets reported.

Hurricane Helene approaches Florida.Joe Raedle/Getty

Other deaths, which have yet to be identified, include a 78-year-old husband and his 74-year-old wife who were killed in Aiken County, S.C., due to a tree falling down on their home, Coroner Darryl Ables told theAssociated Press.

Elsewhere, a 7-year-old boy and 4-year-old girl, who have yet to be identified, were also killed when a tree fell on their burning home, according to13 WMAZandWRDW.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Over40 people have diedin the storm,The New York TimesandThe Weather Channelreported — marking a death toll that has steadily risen.

Hurrican Helene tracker shows the eye of the hurricane.NOAA GOES Image Viewer

NOAA GOES Image Viewer

Helene was a Category 4 storm when it made landfall around 11:10 p.m. local time near Perry, Fla., and has since been downgraded to a tropical storm, according to theNational Hurricane Center.

Before Helene made landfall, theNational Hurricane Centerwarned it could bring “life-threatening storm surge, damaging winds and flooding rains” to much of Florida and parts of the southeastern U.S.

source: people.com