The US civil protection agency Fema had urgently warned of the storm, which would hit several states. Storm surges of up to six meters high are expected on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, said Fema boss Deanne Criswell. The entire west coast of Florida and the Big Bend region are particularly affected. According to data from the website Poweroutage.us, around 975,000 households in Florida were without power by evening.
In the past few days, “Helene” has already caused numerous floods and power outages in Cuba. Severe flooding cut off several towns on the Caribbean island from the outside world.
Dark memories of devastating Hurricane Ian
The arrival of “Helene” is likely to bring back dark memories for many people in Florida. Two years ago, Hurricane “Ian” caused enormous damage there, killing more than 100 people. At that time, the center of the storm moved over densely populated areas in the southwest of the state and swept over coastal cities with wind speeds of around 240 kilometers per hour.
Tropical cyclones form over warm ocean water. According to experts, increasing global warming is increasing the likelihood of strong storms. The hurricane season in the Atlantic begins on June 1st and lasts until November 30th./trö/DP/zb
