Thousands of residents began evacuating parts of the Florida coast on Wednesday as the southeastern US state prepares for the arrival of Helene, which is forecast to arrive as a powerful hurricane and threatens “catastrophic” flooding.
The tropical storm evolved into a hurricane mid-morning in the Gulf of Mexico. “Life-threatening storm surges, hurricane-force winds, rain and flooding are expected in a large part of Florida and the southeastern United States,” warned the National Hurricane Center (NHC), based in Miami, in its latest bulletin.
Maximum sustained winds increased to near 130 km/h with stronger gusts.
“The forecast is for continued strengthening and Helene is expected to be a major hurricane when it reaches the Big Bend coast of Florida on Thursday night,” the NHC added.
State of emergency in almost the entire state
Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for nearly all of Florida’s 67 counties.
According to the NHC, “a catastrophic and deadly storm surge is likely along parts of Florida’s Big Bend coast, where flooding could reach up to 6 meters above ground level, along with destructive waves.” .
The storm could also “penetrate inland,” he added.
Atlanta, a Georgia metropolis located hundreds of miles from the Gulf Coast and home to five million people, is expected to experience tropical storm-force winds and torrential rains through Friday.
President Joe Biden was informed of the storm on Wednesday.
“The entire Biden-Harris administration is ready to provide more assistance to Florida, and other states in the path of the storm, if necessary,” the White House said in a statement.
Total evacuation in two counties
Mandatory partial evacuation orders are in place in ten counties, while two others ordered the evacuation of all residents. DeSantis said at least 12 health centers have already begun evacuations and others are expected to follow.
After hitting the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, with several tourist resorts such as Cancun, Helene could reach category 3 or even 4 on the Saffir-Simpson scale of a maximum of 5, according to the Florida Division of Emergencies.
“There will be impacts from this storm…really all along the Florida peninsula,” DeSantis said at a news conference in the city of Tampa.
It also estimated a possible “direct impact” in the Tallahassee region, a wide swath of northwest Florida, including Tampa Bay, home to about three million people.
Hurricane warning for 400 kilometers of coast
In St. Petersburg, a neighbor of Tampa, long lines of vehicles were seen waiting at several sand distribution centers to fill bags with which to make protective barriers.
Teacher Lorraine Major, who has lived in Florida all her life, was making her own preparations. “You get used to it,” he said of the storms and hurricanes that hit that state every year.
“But the last two years, the hurricanes have been really very strong,” added the 44-year-old woman.
Hurricane warnings have been issued for a stretch of coastline of about 400 kilometers.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) warned of waves with heights of up to 4.5 meters.
If weather predictions are confirmed, Helene could have winds of up to 177 km/h and would be the first hurricane of that magnitude to hit the United States in more than a year.
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