JOHN YANG: Hurricane Helene's death toll has climbed to at least 50 people across five states, from Florida to Virginia.

Remnants of the massive storm are causing record flooding across the southeast, submerging roads and entire towns.

More than 3 million people are without power.

In eastern Tennessee, thousands of people were ordered to go to higher ground because of the potential of a dam collapse.

But officials say the danger has passed.

Special correspondent Christopher Booker is in Florida's Big Bend region where Helene made landfall.

Christopher now it's been about 48 hours since landfall.

What's the situation now?

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: Well, we're in Taylor County, in a town called Steinhatchee, which sits just along the Steinhatchee River.

It's a small little town that's in the Big Bend of Florida's Gulf Coast.

And the story here wasn't wind, but water.

The Steinhatchee River, which is right behind me, rose the storm surge pushing through the town.

It's almost like someone took a snow globe and shook it and spread everyone's belongings all over town.

Officials tell us that all over town, utility crews are working.

There's bulldozers pushing debris out of the way, but it's clear the cleanup is going to take a long time.

JOHN YANG: And how are the communities responding?

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: Well, earlier today, we went to a town called Cedar Key, and we met with the mayor there, a woman named Sue Colson, and she said she's worried about residents returning.

MAYOR SUE COLSON, Cedar Key, Florida: They want to come back, and some are coming back to nothing, and some are coming back to no water, no sewage, and no safety.

So we have to provide these services as soon as possible.

But it's now we're going to have to invent things.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: Cedar Key is just south of where we are now.

It's a town of about 700 people, and Mayor Colson is worried what people will be coming back to, because now there's debris everywhere.

There's wires everywhere.

There's rebar everywhere.

The town has really been largely destroyed, and the worry about wires is that if they're able to return electricity to the town this could start a fire, but the town doesn't have any water, so if there's a fire, they're not going to be able to fight it.

Now, Cedar Key is a town that knows hurricanes.

In the last 13 months, they've had three.

In 2023 they had hurricane Adalia.

This past August, they had hurricane Debbie, but hurricane Helene has much different, much more powerful, and did a lot more damage.

And it's clear that this town is really in for a long road, and it's not clear if they'll be able to walk that and who's going to walk it with them.

JOHN YANG: Christopher Booker, in the Big Bend region of Florida.

Thank you very much.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: Thank you.