The eye of Hurricane Helenecategory 4, hit the ground on the northwest coast of Florida, in the region known as the Big Bend, with maximum sustained winds of 225 kilometers per houras reported by the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC). At least one person died already because of this powerful hurricane, even if the authorities warn that there could be more deaths and have asked the population to take shelter.
The hurricane, the fifth this season in the Atlantic, carries an “extremely dangerous” load of winds, rain and storm surgemaking it potentially deadly, according to the NHC. The deceased is a person who a sign fell on him while he was driving through Big Bend, according to state officials.
The governor, Ron DeSantis, admitted during a press conference that emergency teams do not yet know the extent of the impact because it is dark in Florida. “We still don’t have a complete picture,” he stressed. DeSantis warned that there will probably be more deaths As the storm progresses, it heads toward southern Georgia.
“When Floridians wake up, we will wake up to a state where it is very likely that there was more loss of life and, without a doubt, there will be property damage,” he said. Meanwhile, citizens are going to shelters like León High School, near downtown Tallahassee.
A “deadly” hurricane
The Helen vortex, the fifth this season in the Atlantic, entered Florida at 11:10 a.m. local time – early Friday morning in Spain – east of the mouth of the Aucilla River, about 15 kilometers to the east. west-southwest of Perry, as a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson intensity scale, with a maximum of 5, as specified by the NHC in a special bulletin.
He “very dangerous” Hurricane Helene moves and throws in its path heavy rain and threatening “catastrophic” storm surges and flooding. NHC meteorologists are extremely concerned about the devastation a “catastrophic and life-threatening” storm surge could wreak along parts of Florida’s Big Bend coast, where “flooding could reach up to 20 feet.” [6 metros] above sea level, with “destructive waves”.
Hélène produced catastrophic winds which will extend towards the coast in the Big Bend region of Florida over the next few hours. “It’s a situation extremely dangerous and potentially fatal“, warned the NHC, which stressed that people should not leave their shelters and should stay put during these dangerous conditions.
