Florida Braces for Devastating Impact as Hurricane Helene Approaches: Warnings of Catastrophic Storm Surges and Widespread Damage

CRAWFORDVILLE, Fla. — Tropical storm-force winds began battering Florida as Hurricane Helene prepared to make landfall, with forecasters warning that the enormous storm could create a “nightmare” surge along the coast and churn up damaging winds hundreds of miles inland across much of the southeastern U.S.

Helene, which has already strengthened to a major Category 3 storm, is expected to become even more powerful ahead of its evening landfall on Florida’s northwestern coast. Hurricane and flash flood warnings extend far beyond the coast up into northern Georgia and western North Carolina.

The storm’s wrath began to be felt, with water lapping over a road on the northern tip of Siesta Key near Sarasota and covering some intersections in St. Pete Beach along Florida’s Gulf Coast. Lumber and other debris from a fire in Cedar Key a week ago were crashing ashore in the rising water. Winds of up to 125 mph (205 kph) have already left around 180,000 Florida homes and businesses without power.

Beyond Florida, up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain has already fallen in the North Carolina mountains, with up to 14 inches (36 centimeters) more possible, setting the stage for flooding that could be worse than anything seen in the past century.

With forecasters warning of tornadoes and mudslides, the governors of Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia have declared emergencies, as has the President, who is sending the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to Florida to assess the damage.

Florida’s Governor, Ron DeSantis, stated that models suggest Helene will make landfall further east than earlier forecast, which could lessen the chances for a direct hit on the capital city of Tallahassee, with a metro area population of around 395,000.

The storm is now aimed at the sparsely populated Big Bend area, home to fishing villages and vacation hideaways where Florida’s Panhandle and peninsula meet. The sheriff’s office in mostly rural Taylor County has advised those who chose not to evacuate to “please write your name, birthday, and important information on your arm or leg in a permanent marker” for identification in case of emergencies.

Owners secure their boats outside the Davis Islands Yacht Club ahead of Hurricane Helene in Tampa, Fla.

Philip Tooke, a commercial fisherman, plans to ride out this storm on his boat, as he has during past hurricanes. “If I lose that, I don’t have anything,” he stated. Many, however, were heeding the mandatory evacuation orders that stretched from the Panhandle south along the Gulf Coast in low-lying areas around Tallahassee, Gainesville, Cedar Key, Lake City, Tampa, and Sarasota.

Among those evacuating was Sharonda Davis, who was at a Tallahassee shelter, worried that her mobile home wouldn’t withstand the winds. She expressed her fears, stating, “The hurricane’s size is scarier than anything because it’s the aftermath that we’re going to have to face.”

People traverse a flooded street with a horse-drawn carriage after the passage of Hurricane Helene in Cuba.

A man pushes his bicycle through a flooded street after Hurricane Helene passed through Cuba.

Federal authorities were staging search-and-rescue teams as the National Weather Service office in Tallahassee forecast storm surges of up to 20 feet (6 meters) and warned that they could be particularly “catastrophic and unsurvivable” in Apalachee Bay.

“Please, please, please take any evacuation orders seriously!” the office stated, describing the surge scenario as “a nightmare.” This stretch of Florida, known as the Forgotten Coast, has largely been spared by the widespread condo development and commercialization that dominates other Florida beach communities. The region is cherished for its natural wonders, including vast stretches of salt marshes, tidal pools, and barrier islands.

“You live down here, you run the risk of losing everything to a bad storm,” said Anthony Godwin, a local resident, as he prepared to evacuate. Along Florida’s Gulf Coast, school districts and multiple universities canceled classes, and airports in Tampa, Tallahassee, and Clearwater were closed, with widespread cancellations across the state.

A shopper passes by empty shelves in the bread section of a Walmart in Tallahassee, Fla.

Helene was about 130 miles (205 kilometers) southwest of Tampa and was moving north-northeast at 23 mph (37 kph) with top sustained winds of at least 125 mph (205 kph). While Helene is expected to weaken as it moves inland, damaging winds and heavy rain will extend to the southern Appalachian Mountains, where landslides are possible.

Helene has already flooded parts of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, toppling trees and flooding streets as it passed offshore and brushed the resort city of Cancun. In western Cuba, Helene knocked out power to more than 200,000 homes and businesses as it brushed past the island.

Helene is forecast to be one of the largest storms in breadth in years to hit the region. Since 1988, only three Gulf hurricanes were larger than Helene’s predicted size: 2017’s Irma, 2005’s Wilma, and 1995’s Opal.

Areas 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of the Georgia-Florida line can expect hurricane conditions. More than half of Georgia’s public school districts and several universities canceled classes. The state has opened its parks to evacuees and their pets, including horses, and overnight curfews were imposed in many cities and counties in south Georgia.

“This is one of the biggest storms we’ve ever had,” stated Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, who has authorized up to 500 National Guard soldiers to assist with the response.

For Atlanta, Helene could be the worst strike on a major Southern inland city in 35 years, according to meteorology experts. Helene is the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began on June 1. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-average Atlantic hurricane season this year, largely due to record-warm ocean temperatures.

In further storm activity, Tropical Storm Isaac formed in the Atlantic and is expected to strengthen as it moves eastward across the open ocean, possibly becoming a hurricane by the end of the week. Officials have warned that its swells and winds could affect parts of Bermuda and eventually the Azores by the weekend.

In the Pacific, former Hurricane John reformed as a tropical storm and strengthened back into a hurricane, threatening areas of Mexico’s western coast with flash flooding and mudslides. The President of Mexico has reported a rising death toll as communities along the Pacific coast prepared for the storm to make a second landfall.