The heavy rains and winds of the Hurricane Helenewhich during this Thursday reached category 4have already flooded parts of Florida and have left more than 200,000 homes and offices in this state, as well as Georgia and North Carolina, without power.
The hurricane has strengthened in recent hours and, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC, in English), it is heading towards the west coast of Florida with maximum winds of 215 kilometers per hour (130 miles), that is, like a major hurricane (category 3, 4 or 5).
Helene is expected to landfall tonight in northwest Floridain the Big Bend region, however its effects have already begun to be felt on the Gulf of Mexico coast of this state.
The American media begins to broadcast the first images of the strong winds and high tide in coastal areas of this southern US state, while streets in Tampa Bay already registers flooding due to rainswhich can be up to 50 centimeters in certain areas.
Likewise, more than 173,000 homes and offices on the Florida west coast are this afternoon no electricity after the impacts of the outer bands of the hurricane, according to the specialized website PowerOutages.
For Florida, the storm surge that Helene brings with it could set a record: according to meteorologists in some areas the sea will rise up to 4.5 meters above its average level, that is, almost two floors of a building, a record not seen in this state.
If you do not evacuate, identify your body
More than 30 Florida counties are under mandatory evacuation orders.
In Taylor County, for those who have not complied with them, their sheriff made a particular request: “Please write your name, date of birth and important information on your arm or leg with a PERMANENT MARKER so that he can be identified and his next of kin notified.”
The US National Weather Service (NWS) has warned that in Apalechee Bay, south of Tallahassee (the state capital), the storm surge will be “insurmountable.”
Schools and offices in Florida were closed this Thursday, and at least a thousand flights to or from this state were cancelled, while The Tampa airport and other airfields have not operated this day.
According to local media reports, in Tallahassee, students from Florida State University and Florida A&M University who remained in their dorms have been evacuated to shelters where they will stay until the hurricane passes.
“There is going to be bad weather during the last part of the day here in the state of Florida,” warned this Thursday the state governor, Ron DeSantis, who has declared a state of emergency, as have his counterparts in Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia.
A huge and fast cyclone
Meteorologists have highlighted the dimensions of the cyclone, whose tropical storm force winds They extend up to 500 kilometers (310 miles) from its center, as well as its speed, which towards the afternoon today was moving towards the north-northeast at 37 kilometers per hour (23 miles).
Both features will expand the scope of the destructive effects of Helene, which according to the NHC could make landfall as a category 4.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp noted that Helene may not be the strongest category hurricane to have hit this state, where they have prevailed curfews in some southern townss, but warned of the “potential for damage” that its winds carry and that it can cause throughout the state.
“This is one of the biggest storms we’ve ever had,” the governor of this state said during a press conference, where some school districts have canceled classes on Friday.
In western North Carolina, meteorologists warn of unprecedented rainfall in recent times, especially in towns like Asheville, which in the last two days has already recorded intense rains and to which are now added those from Helene.
The president of the United States, Joe Bidensigned an emergency declaration for Georgia this Thursday, as it did a few days ago in favor of Florida, measures that allow sending federal assistance, including emergency personnels and food, water and electrical generators.
