Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida as a powerful Category 4 hurricane after forecasters predicted “catastrophic and deadly storm surge” for the Sunshine State.
Helene made landfall Thursday evening around 11:10 p.m., about 10 miles west of Perry, Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). “Based on data from Air Force reconnaissance aircraft, maximum sustained winds are estimated at 145 mph,” the NHC said in a statement.
Perry is located in the “Big Bend” region of northern Florida, a hurricane-prone area where the state’s panhandle transitions into the main part of the peninsula.
Figures from PowerOutage.US showed that nearly a million Florida homes were already without power by the time Helene hit the coast. Power outages were likely to increase considerably after arrival on land.
Helene became a tropical storm on Tuesday and has gained strength since, easily becoming the strongest hurricane of the season by the time it makes landfall. The NHC warned that the storm had become “an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane” hours before it made landfall.
The hurricane could inflict massive damage on several states in its path, in addition to Florida. Areas of Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky are also expected to be impacted by the storm’s center through the weekend, with the hurricane’s effects likely extending away from the center.
MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP
“Helene rapidly intensified today as it nears landfall in Florida’s Big Bend,” the NHC said during a forecast discussion earlier Thursday. “It should be emphasized that Helen is at the upper limit of hurricanes in terms of storm size and impacts will occur and occur well away from the center.”
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) urged those in Helen’s path “to take immediate steps to protect themselves as the storm approaches,” noting that there is a “risk of “Dangerous lightning and flooding in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.”
As more than 1,800 members of the federal government were on hand Thursday to help deal with potential fallout from the storm, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell urged those in the storm’s path to listen warnings from local authorities.
“The Biden-Harris administration is ready for this event. We are prepared and ready to respond,” Criswell said in a statement. “People in the path of Hurricane Helene need to take this seriously.”
“Listen to your state and local elected officials,” she added. “If they tell you to evacuate, evacuate. If they tell you to shelter in place, stay where you are. These decisions can save lives.”
News week contacted FEMA for comment via email Thursday evening.
Wakulla County Sheriff Jared Miller issued a dire warning to residents in a Facebook post shortly before Helene’s expected arrival, particularly urging residents in low-lying areas to stay out of the path of the storm. hurricane.
“It’s not going to allow people in coastal or low-lying areas to survive,” Miller said. “We can also expect many downed trees and significant damage to buildings.”
In Taylor County, where the hurricane made landfall, the sheriff’s office gave grim advice to those who refuse to evacuate, saying in a Facebook post that residents who remain should write down their names and others information on their arms with a permanent marker so that their bodies “can be identified and the family informed.”
Wakulla and Taylor were two of more than 20 Florida counties under mandatory evacuation orders at press time, while voluntary evacuations were underway in several other counties. Evacuation updates for Florida are available at FloridaDisaster.org.
