Massive Hurricane Helene recently made landfall in Florida’s sparsely populated Big Bend region, causing storm surge and high winds along the Gulf Coast before moving onto southern Georgia. As of early Friday morning, the National Hurricane Center reported that Helene had weakened to a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph. The storm is expected to continue losing strength as it travels north across Georgia. Currently, Helene is located south-southwest of Clemson, South Carolina, and east-northeast of Atlanta, moving at a speed of 30 mph.
Helene wobbled as it approached the Florida coast and eventually hit near the mouth of the Aucilla River with estimated maximum sustained winds of 140 mph. Evacuations were initiated in Western North Carolina as a precautionary measure. Power outages have affected approximately 3.4 million people in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, with nearly 1.2 million people experiencing power loss in Florida alone. Linemen are on standby to restore power once the storm subsides.
Storm surge began flooding parts of Florida’s coast even before Helene made landfall, with rising waters reported as far south as Fort Myers. Hillsborough County officials in Tampa used an ATV to rescue stranded individuals from floodwaters, while Cedar Key, an island on the Gulf Coast, experienced significant flooding with several homes and buildings submerged.
Storm surge refers to the rise in sea water levels above normal, which can be more devastating at high tide. Meanwhile, hurricane intensity is commonly measured using the Saffir-Simpson Scale, which categorizes storms from 1 to 5 based on sustained wind speeds. Helene’s impact serves as a reminder of the destructive power that hurricanes can unleash on coastal communities, prompting evacuations and emergency responses to ensure public safety and minimize damage.
