Florida prepares to see hurricane strike Thursday evening Heleneclassified as “extremely dangerous”, with gusts of rare violence, but also colossal quantities of water capable of causing “catastrophic” flooding.
With winds now blowing 215 km/h, the hurricane reached category 4 on a scale of 5, according to the American Hurricane Center (NHC).
It is expected to make landfall in the evening in northwest Florida, near the state capital, Tallahassee, which has around 200,000 inhabitants.
In this area, “no one has seen a storm of this magnitude in recent memory,” warned Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Helene is already dumping intense rains and the risk of marine submersion particularly worries the authorities. The rise in water levels could reach 6 meters in places on the coasts, the height of a two-story building.
This is a “scenario that is impossible to survive” and which will be accompanied by “destructive” waves that could sweep away homes and displace cars, warned Mike Brennan, director of the NHC.
The states of Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina will also suffer the effects of the hurricane, including the large city of Atlanta. Tens of millions of Americans are under weather alerts.
Inland, authorities fear flash floods linked to heavy rains, as well as possible mudslides or landslides, particularly in the Appalachians.
“This will be one of the most significant meteorological events of modern times in the west” of South Carolina, warned the weather services of this state. “We urge you to take all warnings seriously. »
“I’m staying here”
On Thursday evening, Governor DeSantis asked Floridians who have not yet evacuated to barricade themselves and not go out until the next morning.
“We cannot control the strength of the hurricane or its path. But what you can control is to put all the chances on your side to get out of there safely,” he insisted.
In Crawfordville, a small town located about thirty kilometers south of Tallahassee, many residents fled after protecting the windows of their houses with wooden boards, and most businesses closed, AFP journalists noted. on site Thursday.
But some chose to brave the storm. “I’m not going anywhere. I stay here. I’m going to withdraw,” Patrick Riickert told AFP.
“I have confidence in my faith and the fact that God will protect me,” added the fifty-year-old, who will stay at home with his wife and grandchildren.
Food, water and generators have been prepositioned in the area by the federal disaster response agency (FEMA).
Some 3,500 National Guard troops have been mobilized, with an additional 2,000 available if needed, DeSantis said.
Federal funds have been released, with personnel ready to help with search and rescue operations, restoring power or clearing roads.
“There is going to be a lot of debris,” warned the governor.
Due to falling trees, authorities expect widespread power outages. As of early Thursday evening, more than approximately 290,000 homes were without power in Florida, according to the website poweroutage.us.
State of emergency
The particularity ofHelene is to be particularly extensive. Its size makes it “one of the largest hurricanes over the Gulf of Mexico this century,” noted expert Michael Lowry.
A state of emergency has been imposed in almost all of Florida’s 67 counties. Several airports, including Tallahassee and Tampa, are closed.
While several hurricanes have already hit the United States this year, including Beryl And Debbythese were less powerful thanHelene when it hits the ground.
The American Oceanic and Atmospheric Observation Agency (NOAA) had warned that this year’s hurricane season – which runs from the beginning of June to the end of November – was expected to be particularly turbulent, particularly due to the heat of the oceans, which fuels these storms.
By warming sea waters, climate change makes them more likely to intensify rapidly and increases the risk of more powerful hurricanes, scientists say.