Florida braces for Category 4 storm and flooding

Hundreds of thousands of people in Florida are without power and the state has issued a number of mandatory evacuation orders as Hurricane Helene strengthens over the Gulf of Mexico and prepares to make landfall.

By Thursday evening, the storm strengthened into a category four hurricane and was expected to hit Big Bend, Florida later in the evening.

Authorities urged people to follow evacuation orders, warning that the storm would bring “life-threatening” weather to the region, with damaging winds and significant storm surge.

It is expected to make landfall as a category four hurricane south of Tallahassee, a city that has not experienced a storm of this magnitude in recent memory.

Hurricane Helene has been described as “catastrophic” and “insurmountable” by authorities, who have warned it will bring a storm surge of up to six meters above the ground to some areas of the Big Bend.

“This forecast, if realized, constitutes a nightmare surge scenario for Apalachee Bay,” the National Weather Service office in Tallahassee warned in a bulletin.

Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center (NHC), said Thursday that residents under evacuation orders still have time to get out, but added that “conditions will deteriorate quickly.”

Power outages, tree damage and strong winds that could tear roofs off structures are expected, Mr. Brennan said, as well as heavy rainfall of up to 18 inches (45 cm) that could cause flash flooding in certain regions.

As the storm moves inland, the NHC also warned that it could bring “numerous significant mudslides” to the southern Appalachians, where some areas of the Blue Ridge Mountains could receive up to 30 inches of rain.

The storm was described as “very significant” by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who warned Thursday that it would bring tropical storm conditions to much of his state.

He added that Tallahassee, Florida’s capital with a population of 200,000, could be significantly affected if the hurricane directly hits the city.

“This area hasn’t been hit by a major hurricane in some time, and no one in recent memory has seen a storm of this magnitude hit,” DeSantis said.

As of Thursday evening, more than 346,000 customers had lost power in Florida, according to Poweroutages.us. More than 13,000 power outages were also reported in neighboring Georgia.

At 6:20 p.m. EST (11:20 p.m. GMT), Hurricane Helene was heading toward Tampa, Florida, as a powerful category four storm, according to the NHC, with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 km/h).

DeSantis urged residents in affected areas to leave as soon as possible, as the hurricane is expected to move quickly toward the state.

“Every minute that passes brings us into conditions that are simply going to be too dangerous to sail,” he said.

The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office shared a social media post Thursday with a worst-case scenario message for those who refuse to evacuate.

“Please write your name, date of birth and important information on your arm or leg with a permanent marker so you can be identified and notify your family,” the Emergency Management Division said.

Michael Bobbit, a clam farmer on Cedar Key Island in Big Bend, Florida, said some people in his community decided to stay put despite the warnings.

“The last few hours have just been a frantic effort to beg people to leave,” Mr Bobbit, 48, told the BBC. “Here in Florida we kind of think we’ll get through this, it’s no big deal. But this isn’t one of those storms.

He said residents tried to “put sand in as many buildings as possible,” board up windows and secure the island’s clam farms.

“The mood is somber,” Mr. Bobbit said. “A lot of people, when they leave the island, they hug and cry and say, ‘I hope we have a home to return to.’

Governor DeSantis warned that people should expect travel disruptions. Tampa International Airport and Tallahassee International Airport were both closed Thursday ahead of the storm.

Search and rescue teams were mobilized if necessary, DeSantis said, and shelters were opened for residents in affected areas.

The hurricane also affected the White House race, with Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance canceling two events in Georgia scheduled for Thursday.

Hurricanes require sea surface temperatures above 27°C (80°F) to feed.

With the Gulf’s exceptionally warm waters, between 30 and 32 °C (86 and 89 °F), the sea surface is about two degrees Celsius above normal for this time of year.

Florida’s 350-kilometer-long Big Bend coast is where Hurricane Idalia made landfall in 2023. The area was also hit by Hurricane Debby last month.

Florida Division of Emergency Management published a list counties in which voluntary or mandatory evacuation orders were issued before Helen.