At least three people died in the United States due to the passage of Cyclone “Helene”, which after making landfall on the southeastern coast as a Category 4 storm was downgraded to a tropical storm this Friday.
“‘Helene’ weakened to a tropical storm as it moves inland over Georgia,” the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
When it made landfall, it was a Category 4 hurricane and was described as “extremely dangerous” by the US meteorological services. “Helene” caused the deaths of two people in Georgia and one in Florida.
The Governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, indicated that two people died in the center of the State and urged all residents “to prepare for new impacts” in a message on the social network X.
Local media reported that the two victims, a man and a woman, died when their trailer was swept away by a tornado. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis reported the death of a person driving in the coastal city of Tampa.
Two million homes without electricity
“Helene” reached the so-called Big Bend, a forested region in northwest Florida, shortly before 11:30 p.m. local time (9:30 p.m., central Mexico time), the NHC indicated.
The cyclone reached the coast with maximum sustained winds of 225 km/h, near the city of Perry, with about 7,000 inhabitants. “The ENTIRE coast of Florida’s Big Bend is at risk of potentially catastrophic storm surge,” the NHC warned on social media. The Tampa and Tallahassee airports closed and two million homes and businesses in Florida and Georgia were left without power, said the PowerOutage.us website, which specializes in reporting blackouts. Despite the forecasts, Patrick Riickert refused to evacuate his small wooden house in Crawfordville, a city of 5,000 inhabitants halfway between Tallahassee and the coast, which will surely be devastated by Helene. Most of the residents left, but he, his wife and five grandchildren “are not going anywhere,” the 58-year-old told AFP. “I’m going to take refuge” and endure the hurricane, he assured. This was done in 2018 when the deadly Hurricane “Michael”, a Category 5 megastorm, hit the northwest area of Florida. “I rely on my faith that God will keep me safe,” he added.
impassable roads
In the coastal town of Alligator Point, David Wesolowski took no chances in the face of the hurricane.
“If it stays on course, this is going to look a lot different later,” he said before leading his family to higher ground in Tallahassee. The NHC warned of up to 20 inches of rain in isolated inland spots and life-threatening flooding, as well as “numerous” landslides, in the southern Appalachians. Several states are in the potential route and are already experiencing high winds and heavy rain. Flooding in cities around Tampa Bay left roads impassable, local media showed.
From Florida to Tennessee
“This will be a multi-state event that could have a significant impact,” Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell told reporters at the White House after briefing President Joe Biden about the situation.
“The President wants to make sure everyone pays attention to the potential life-threatening impacts of this storm,” he said. DeSantis mobilized the National Guard and thousands of personnel for possible search and rescue operations and power restoration. “We can’t control the path of the hurricane, but what you can control is what you can do to give yourself the best chance of getting out of this in a way that is safe,” the Governor said. A 402 km stretch of coast, from Tampa Bay to Panama City, is on alert due to the hurricane. “Helene” previously hit the Yucatan Peninsula, where several tourist resorts are located. Category 3 Hurricane Idalia hit northwest Florida in August 2023.
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