Florida Girds For Arrival Of ‘Catastrophic’ Hurricane Helene

AFP/APP

Tampa: An increasingly powerful hurricane is set to strike Florida’s Gulf coast on Thursday, bringing “catastrophic” storm surges and flooding, prompting thousands of residents to evacuate coastal towns.

Hurricane Helene intensified into a hurricane Wednesday morning while in the Gulf of Mexico. The National Hurricane Center in Miami reported that the storm is “expected to bring life-threatening storm surge, damaging winds, and flooding rains to a large portion of Florida and the Southeastern United States.”

With maximum sustained winds now reaching 85 miles per hour (137 kilometers), Helene is moving north at 12 mph. The NHC warned that the storm is likely to strengthen further and could become a major hurricane by the time it reaches the Florida Big Bend coast on Thursday evening.

There is a possibility that Helene could make landfall as a Category 4 hurricane, with sustained winds of up to 130 miles per hour, according to the center. The NHC cautioned that a “catastrophic and deadly storm surge” could inundate areas along the Florida Big Bend coast, with water levels potentially rising as high as 20 feet (six meters) above ground, accompanied by destructive waves.

The storm also has the capacity to move well inland, affecting several states in its path. Atlanta, Georgia, located hundreds of miles from the coast and home to five million residents, is expected to experience near-tropical storm-force winds and heavy rainfall through Friday.

President Joe Biden received a briefing on the situation Wednesday. The White House stated, “The entire Biden-Harris Administration stands ready to provide further assistance to Florida and other states in the storm’s path as needed.”