Hurricane Helene left an enormous path of destruction across Florida and the entire southeastern U.S. on Friday, killing at least 40 people in four states, snapping towering oaks like twigs, tearing apart homes and sending rescue crews on desperate missions to save people from floodwaters.

DO NOT TRY TO TREAD FLOODWATERS YOURSELF," the sheriff's office warned in a Facebook post. Authorities said the water could contain live wires, sewage, sharp objects and other debris.

Tropical Storm Helene brought life-threatening flooding to the Carolinas on Friday after causing wide destruction through Florida and Georgia overnight, killing at least five people, swamping neighborhoods and leaving more than 4 million homes and businesses without power.

Helene roared ashore in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, trapping residents in floodwaters, peeling siding off buildings, knocking out power to millions.

The storm made landfall late Thursday with maximum sustained winds of 140 miles per hour in the rural Big Bend area.

Hurricane Helene roared through Florida and into Georgia on Friday as one of the most powerful storms to hit the U.S., with fears of deaths and widespread destruction in its wake. At least one fatality in Florida was blamed on the hurricane so far,