Hurricane Helene has left “biblical devastation” in parts of North Carolina, officials say, after it tore across five south-eastern US states and left more than 60 people dead.

A clearer image of the destruction in hard-hit North Carolina emerged on Sunday, where, after barrelling through Florida and Georgia, Helene brought torrential rain and swamped towns with flooding and mudslides.

More than 400 roads are closed in the state, where 11 people have died. Homes have been destroyed, towns have been cut-off, water systems are down and hundreds of thousands are without power.

“This storm has brought catastrophic devastation… of historic proportions,” Governor Roy Cooper said.