Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Florida Big Bend region as a Category 4 storm late Thursday, according to the US National Hurricane Center. The ‘extremely dangerous’ storm, with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph, caused widespread power outages and flooding, marking it as the most powerful storm to hit the region.
“Based on NWS Doppler radar data, the eye of Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in the Florida Big Bend region at about 11:10 pm EDT (0310 UTC), just east of the mouth of the Aucilla River,” the US agency said in a statement.
As the storm approached, two people were reported killed in a possible tornado in southern Georgia, according to news agency AP. The storm also prompted mandatory evacuations for over 70,000 people in Franklin, Taylor, Liberty, and Wakulla counties.
The National Hurricane Center issued a warning, saying, “People should not leave their shelters and must remain in place through the passage of these life-threatening conditions.”
Emergency declared in several states
President Joe Biden approved emergency declarations for several states, including Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Alabama, to facilitate federal emergency response.
Sheriff Jared Miller of Wakulla County posted a warning on Facebook: “This will not be a survivable event for those in coastal or low-lying areas.”
AccuWeather’s Dan DePodwin warned that Helene could be a “once-in-a-generation storm” for parts of the southeastern US. Inland areas, such as Asheville, North Carolina, received significant rainfall, with 8.34 inches recorded over 26 hours.
Helene rapidly intensified into an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 hurricane on Thursday evening, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).
Power outages reported
Helene caused widespread power outages, leaving over 885,000 homes and businesses in Florida without electricity. Additionally, 29,000 customers in Georgia and North Carolina also lost power.
Forecasters cautioned that extensive damage to the power grid could result in outages lasting several days or even weeks.
The US National Hurricane Center issued tornado watches for much of Florida and southeastern Georgia, effective through early Friday morning.
Helene’s impact includes projections of a storm surge up to 20 feet in Apalachee Bay. It is expected to turn northwest over the Tennessee Valley on Friday and Saturday.