Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in Florida’s Big Bend region, one of the strongest storms on record to hit the state. The storm weakened to a Category 1 overnight, but at least three people have died, with fatalities in Florida and Georgia due to a fallen sign and a tornado related to the storm. President Biden urged those in Helene’s path to heed evacuation warnings. The storm brought dangerous winds into Georgia, prompting warnings to remain sheltered.
Governors in Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia declared emergencies, with Florida experiencing significant storm surge. Helene is one of the largest hurricanes in years, with a wind field extending 440km from its center. Nasa astronauts aboard the International Space Station recorded footage of the storm, showing its growth before landfall. The hurricane, larger than 90% of storms in the past 20 years, brought strong gusts to areas not typically affected by such storms.
The storm’s size and strength have led to widespread impacts, with the entirety of Florida under storm watches or warnings and areas experiencing flash flooding, landslides, and river flooding. North Carolina’s governor warned of severe weather impacts across the state. Hurricane Helene is compared to Idalia, a previous storm that was the third strongest to strike Florida’s Big Bend region. The toll from Helene is feared to be worse, with officials monitoring the situation closely.
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