Florida | Powerful Category 4 Hurricane Helene makes landfall

(Tallahassee) The hurricane Heleneclassified as “extremely dangerous”, made landfall Thursday evening in the American state of Florida with gusts of rare violence, but also colossal quantities of water capable of causing “catastrophic” flooding.

“Based on Doppler radar data from the NWS (the National Weather Service, Editor’s note), the eye (of the hurricane) Helene made landfall” in the Big Bend region of northwest Florida around 11:10 p.m., the US Hurricane Center (NHC) announced.

The hurricane made landfall “just east of the mouth of the Aucilla River” located some 40 km southeast of the state capital, Tallahassee, which has a population of approximately 200,000.

With winds now blowing at 225 km/h, the hurricane is category 4 on a scale of 5, the organization said.

Helene is already dumping intense rains and the risk of marine submersion particularly worries the authorities. The rise in water levels could reach six 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.

Because of the falling trees, authorities expected widespread power outages: Thursday evening, around a million homes were without electricity in Florida, according to the poweroutage.us website.

US President Joe Biden “urged” residents to heed “calls to evacuate” issued by the authorities. “Take this seriously, and be careful,” he insisted.

“I’m staying here”

On the coast near Tallahassee, many fled, after protecting the windows of their homes with wooden planks, and most businesses closed, an AFP journalist noted Thursday evening.

But some, like John Luper, decided to stay despite the evacuation orders, out of solidarity with his mother and brother. “They won’t leave,” he sighs, regretting their choice. “I’m stuck with them. »

Authorities in Taylor County, Florida, have asked residents who failed to heed calls to leave to write their names on their bodies using permanent markers to help identify them if they were to be killed.

In Crawfordville, a small town located about thirty kilometers south of Tallahassee, Patrick Riickert also decided to ignore the alerts.

“I’m staying here. I’m going to retreat,” the fifty-year-old told AFP, who has his grandchildren with him. “I trust in my faith and that God will protect me. »

Thursday evening, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis asked residents who still can to evacuate, and others to barricade themselves and not go out until the next morning.

Three other states under threat

Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina will also feel the effects of the hurricane. 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.

In Florida, a state of emergency has been imposed across almost the entire state. Some 3,500 National Guard soldiers have been mobilized and an additional 2,000 are available if needed, according to the governor.

Several airports, including Tallahassee and Tampa, are closed.

Federal funds have been released, with personnel ready to help with search and rescue operations, restoring power or clearing roads.

Impressive size

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.

Although several hurricanes have already hit the United States this year, including Béryl and Debby, these 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.