Sept 26 (Askume) – Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region late on Thursday, one of the strongest storms to hit the state. It resulted in deaths, widespread damage and flooding that was likely to be worse than previous flooding.
The National Hurricane Center reported that Helene made landfall in Florida as a powerful Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of about 130 mph (209 km/h). Even before reaching land, the storm caused flooding along the Gulf Coast and knocked out power to at least 1 million customers in the state.
Officials urged residents living in the storm’s path to obey mandatory evacuation orders or risk their lives. The center’s director, Michael Brennan, said in 2017 that Helene’s waves — hurricane-force winds that push ocean water toward land — could rise to 20 feet (6.1 m) in some locations, equivalent to a tidal wave weighing down a two-story house.
Brennan said coastal areas would face “truly unsustainable conditions” with flooding capable of destroying buildings and pushing cars into the ground.
Heavy rain fell across parts of coastal Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, central and western North Carolina, and Tennessee. A tropical storm warning was issued for Atlanta, hundreds of miles north of Florida’s Big Bend.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told reporters late Thursday that one person had died as a result of the storm. He did not provide any details.
Roads were flooded before noon in Pinellas County, located on a peninsula bordering Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Officials warned that the storm’s impact could be as severe as last year’s Hurricane Idalia , which flooded 1,500 homes in the low-lying coastal county.
Footage posted on the county’s social media site showed some coastal roads submerged and water levels rising above boat docks.
Airports in Tampa, Tallahassee and St. Petersburg all suspended operations on Thursday.
Forecasters said Helene is expected to remain a full-blown hurricane as it passes through the Macon, Georgia area on Friday. It could drop 12 inches (30.5 centimeters) or more of rain, which could damage the state’s cotton and pecan crops.
“Current forecasts for Hurricane Helene indicate that this storm will impact every region of our state,” Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said.
After reaching the Florida coast, Helene is expected to move slowly toward the Tennessee Valley on Friday and Saturday, the NHC said.
water wall
In the Big Bend region of the Florida Panhandle, where the hurricane made landfall, the storm surge height was estimated at 15 to 20 ft (4.6 to 6.1 m).
Evacuations have been ordered in several locations along Florida’s Gulf Coast, including Sarasota and Charlotte counties.
Not everyone is complying with evacuation orders. Off the coast of Dunedin, Florida, about 25 miles west of Tampa, state boater Ken Wood, 58, planned to ride out the storm with his 16-year-old cat, Andy.
“We’ve got orders, but I’m staying home,” Wood told Askume by phone. “It looks like the storm will move a little further west, but who knows? I’m sure it’s going to be interesting, at least.”
In Taylor County, the sheriff’s department asked residents who decided not to evacuate to write their names and dates of birth in ink on their arms so they could be identified if they were killed in the storm.
Reinsurance broker Gallagher Re said initial private insurance losses could reach $300 million to $6 billion, and additional losses from federal insurance programs could reach $1 billion.
Energy utilities on the US Gulf Coast have reduced operations and evacuated some power plants.
Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Creswell said at a White House news conference that she would travel to Florida on Friday to assess the damage.
The hurricane center said Helene is expected to drop up to 15 inches (38.1 centimeters) of rain in remote areas when it hits Florida, which could cause widespread flooding in urban areas.
“You have to be prepared for (power outages) for a long period of time. These trees can fall down in strong winds and block roads,” said Jamie Rhome, deputy director of the National Hurricane Center.
(This story is rewritten with the missing word “from” in paragraph 12)
