Hurricane Helene upgrades to Category 4 causing flooding and power outages in southeastern US

The heavy rains and winds of Hurricane Helene, which reached category 4 this Thursday, have already flooded parts of Florida and left more than 200,000 homes and offices in this state, as well as Georgia and North Carolina, without power. North.

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The hurricane has strengthened in the last few hours and, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC, in English), Heading toward the west coast of Florida with maximum winds of 215 kilometers per hour (130 miles)that is, as a major hurricane (category 3, 4 or 5).

Helene is expected to make landfall this Thursday night in northwest Florida, in 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 begin to spread the first images of the strong winds and high tide in coastal areas of this southern US state.while streets in Tampa Bay are already registering flooding from the rains, which can reach up to 50 centimeters in certain areas.

Likewise, more than 173,000 homes and offices on the west coast of Florida were left without electricity in the afternoon after the impacts of the outer bands of the hurricane, according to the specialized website PowerOutages.

For Florida, the storm surge brought by Helene could be a record: according to meteorologistsin some areas the sea will rise up to 4.5 meters above its average level, that is, almost two floors of a buildinga brand not seen in this state.

If you do not evacuate in the presence of Hurricane Helene, identify your body

More than 30 Florida counties are under mandatory evacuation orders.

In Taylor County, for those who have not complied, 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 you can be identified and their relatives notified”.

The US National Weather Service (NWS) has warned that in Apalechee Baysouth of Tallahassee (the state capital), the storm surge will be “insurmountable”.

Schools and offices in Florida were closed today, and at least a thousand flights to or from this state were cancelled, while the Tampa airport and other airfields did not operate this Thursday.

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 DeSantiswho 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 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 with category 4.

He Governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, pointed out this Thursday that Helene may not be the strongest category hurricane that has impacted this state, where curfews have been imposed in some southern towns, but he 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.“said the governor of this state 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 has already recorded heavy rains in the last two days and is now being joined by those from Helene.

The president of the United States, Joe Biden, signed an emergency declaration for Georgia this Thursday, as he did days ago in favor of Florida, measures that allow the sending of federal assistance, including emergency personnel and food, water and electric generators.

On Thursday night, attention is on the Big Bend, a not very populated region where Helene is expected to make landfall, where category 1 Hurricane Debby did last August and where the hurricane also entered in August 2023. Idalia.

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