I’ve never seen one this powerful so far inland. The wind was incredible, and the power’s out with no idea when it’ll be back. We might have to leave town for a while. I’ll try to get some photos of the damage. I heard loud, structural sounds—could mean damage to homes and businesses.
LIVE: DeSantis on Helene
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis provides updates on Helene after it made landfall Thursday as Category 4 hurricane. Watch live. 9a/8C.
5 million homes without power, photos.
Hurricane Helene has left four million people without power and 23 dead as it battered Georgia and moved into the Carolinas early on Friday.
The storm was updated to Category 4 earlier in the evening, and hit the Florida’s Big Bend region just after 11pm with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph.
But the damage extended hundreds of miles to the north, with flooding as far away as North Carolina, where a lake used in scenes from the movie ‘Dirty Dancing’ overtopped a dam.
Helene had already spurred warnings and several states of emergencies, not only Florida, but all the way to Georgia and the Carolinas. More than 60million Americans in 12 states are under some form of advisory.
The danger of the storm was highlighted as Floridians who decided not to evacuate were told to write their names on their bodies so they could be identified if they died in the storm.
‘Please write your name, birthday, and important information on your arm or leg in a PERMANENT MARKER so that you can be identified and family notified,’ the sheriff’s office in mostly rural Taylor County warned those who chose not to evacuate in a Facebook post.
The dire advice similar to what other officials have dolled out during past hurricanes.
Emergency management officials in Rutherford County North Carolina are urging people downstream of Lake Lure Dam to evacuate immediately due to an imminent failure.#LakeLureDam #Evacuation #Flooding pic.twitter.com/VM5qUxvwJk
— ∼Marietta (@MariettaDaviz) September 27, 2024
The Swannanoa rose extremely fast over the past 15 minutes. It now covers Blue Ridge Rd in Black Mtn pic.twitter.com/kcNfVXFGXQ
— Evan Fisher (@EFisherWX) September 27, 2024
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13893689/hurricane-helene-florida-storm-tracker-live-updates.html
Live hurricane updates, all day.
www.nbcnews.com/news/weather/live-blog/storm-helene-live-updates-rcna172973
‘Parts of Florida may be uninhabitable for weeks or months.’
As monster storms like Helene approach the U.S., meteorologists use five categories to help signal the life-or-death consequences for residents in the path.
This scale – officially known as the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale – is a rating based on maximum sustained wind speed, which ranges from 74 to 157 mph, or higher.
But it’s important to note that the scale does not take into account potentially deadly hurricane hazards such as storm surge, rainfall, flooding and tornadoes. These hazards require people to take protective action, including evacuating from areas vulnerable to storm surge.
h/t Pasta Lover