Florida residents have been evacuating and filling sandbags for days ahead of the arrival. Tropical Storm Helenewhich is predicted to quickly develop into a hurricane.
Helene was formed on Tuesday in the Caribbean Sea, is expected to cross the Gulf of Mexico and landfall as early as late Thursday. Hurricane warnings have been issued for parts of Cuba, Mexico and a portion of the Florida coastline, including Tampa Bay. A tropical storm warning has been issued for parts of the Florida Keys.
Official forecasts from the National Hurricane Center call for Helene to be a devastating category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 185 km/h while moving inland.
On Tuesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis expanded a state of emergency to 61 counties. The state also issued voluntary and mandatory evacuation orders in 13 counties.
Federal authorities are deploying generators, food and water, along with search and rescue teams and power restoration crews, as President Joe Biden also declared a state of emergency in Florida.
The storm is expected to be unusually large and fast, meaning storm surge, wind and rain are likely to extend far from the storm’s center, the hurricane center said. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has declared a state of emergency. And states as far inland as Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana could get rain.
Hal Summers, a restaurant worker in Mexico Beach, Florida, didn’t need to be reminded of it after he narrowly survived Hurricane Michael in 2018. DeSantis said Helene was like a Category 5 hurricane that quickly strengthened and caught residents by surprise before carving a path of destruction through the western Florida Panhandle.
When it hit, Summers was wading with his cat in his arms as the water began to rise rapidly in his parents’ house, destroying their home and his home.
“It was such a traumatic experience that I didn’t want to be there,” he said Tuesday as he evacuated with a friend to Marianna, a town further inland.
Dangerous storm surges are predicted to occur in many areas, especially between Panama City and Tampa. The coast stretching from Ochlockonee River to Chassahowitzka could see between 10 and 15 feet of water. Nearby areas could see between 5 and 10 feet of water, and the Tampa Bay area is expected to experience between 5 and 8 feet of storm surge.
In the Florida Keys, storm surge could reach 1 to 3 feet (30 to 90 centimeters).
The Florida Division of Emergency Management’s Know Your Zone map allows residents to enter their address and find their evacuation route in case of flooding or other disaster.