Helene became a hurricane Wednesday after rapidly strengthening in the Caribbean Sea and moved north along Mexico’s coast on a path toward the U.S., leading residents to evacuate, schools to close, and officials to declare emergencies in Florida and Georgia.
Helene’s center was about 460 miles (735 kilometers) southwest of Tampa, Florida, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said, and the hurricane was expected to intensify and grow as it crosses the Gulf of Mexico.
“Just hope and pray that everybody’s safe,” said Connie Dillard, of Tallahassee, as she shopped at a grocery store with thinning shelves of water and bread in preparation for hitting the highway out of town. “That’s all you can do.”
The hurricane ranks in the 90th percentile for its sheer size, and it could create a storm surge as high as 18 feet (5 1/2 meters) in places, forecasters said. The fast-moving storm’s wind and rain could penetrate far inland, even as it weakens after landfall in Florida late Thursday, authorities warned.
One insurance firm, Gallagher Re, is expecting billions of dollars in damage in the U.S. Around 18,000 linemen from out of state staged in Florida, ready to help restore power. Airports in St. Petersburg, Tallahassee and Tampa were planning to close on Thursday, and 62 hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities evacuated their residents Wednesday.
Helene was moving north at 12 mph (19 kph) with top sustained winds of 85 mph (140 kph) and was expected to intensify over the warm waters of the Gulf. Forecasters said it should become a major Category 3 or higher hurricane Thursday with winds above 110 mph (177 kph). Its center is projected to hit Florida’s Big Bend area, the curving stretch of Gulf coastline in the state’s north.
In Tallahassee, where stations had started to run out of gas, 19-year-old Florida A&M student Kameron Benjamin filled sandbags with his roommate to protect their apartment before evacuating. Their school and Florida State shut down.
“This hurricane is heading straight to Tallahassee, so I really don’t know what to expect,” Benjamin said.
As Big Bend residents battened down their homes, many saw the ghost of 2018’s Hurricane Michael. That storm rapidly intensified and crashed ashore as a Category 5 that laid waste to Panama City and parts of the rural Panhandle.
