Away from Hurricane Helene: Storm threatens Florida coast

Given the proximity of Hurricane Helene, Florida residents have already begun evacuating and taking other emergency precautions, as experts say it could be the strongest storm of the U.S. season so far.

According to the National Hurricane Center, Helene officially reached hurricane status on Wednesday morning with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph.

Helene, which formed in the Caribbean Sea on Tuesday, is expected to make landfall on the northeast coast of the Gulf of Mexico late Thursday and could reach Category 3 strength with winds of up to 120 mph (193 kph) over the next 36 hours.

The greatest likelihood of landfall is in the eastern part of the Florida Panhandle – including the Big Bend region – where “life-threatening” storm surge, flooding and winds will occur, according to the National Hurricane Center.

“Everyone along the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend region needs to be prepared for the impacts of a hurricane,” Alex DaSilva, AccuWeather’s senior hurricane expert, told the Tallahassee Democrat.

“AccuWeather meteorologists expect this storm to have a major impact,” added AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter. “This could be the storm that the 2024 hurricane season will be remembered for.”

President Joe Biden has already declared a federal emergency for the Sunshine State. On Tuesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis expanded the emergency declaration to 61 counties, CBS News reported.

In addition, both voluntary and mandatory evacuation orders are in effect in 13 counties.

The mandatory evacuation order also applied to the University of Tampa, which asked its students to leave the building by 1 p.m. Wednesday.

Residents of mobile homes in particular were asked to flee to more stable locations before the storm.

“It’s not safe (in mobile homes),” Florida emergency manager Kevin Guthrie said at a press conference, according to Florida Phoenix reporter Mitch Perry.

Helene is expected to be particularly large and fast, meaning storm surge, winds and heavy rain are likely to extend far from the storm’s center.

Georgia is also under a state of emergency, and more inland states, as well as Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee, could also be affected by Helene-related rainfall, CBS reported.

Hal Summers of Mexico Beach told the outlet that he took special precautions this time after he and his parents both lost their homes in Hurricane Michael, the Category 5 storm that swept across the western Florida Panhandle in 2018.

“It was such a traumatic experience that I didn’t want to be there for myself,” said Summers, who remembers wading through the rising storm surge while holding his cat above his head.

Helene is approaching as Florida’s Big Bend is still recovering from a series of hurricanes.

Hurricane Debby hit the region as a Category 1 storm in early August. Reconstruction efforts are still ongoing and the area is preparing for the impact of Helene.

Idalia, a Category 3 hurricane, struck Florida’s west coast last year, causing record-breaking storm surge from Tampa up to Bid Bend.