(Tallahassee) Three people were killed Friday during the hurricane’s passage Helene which weakened to a still very dangerous tropical storm after hitting the southeast coast of the United States, leaving flooded roads and homes in its wake.
The storm crossed Florida into neighboring Georgia, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said, urging residents to stay safe from “catastrophic winds”, storm surges and heavy rain. “This is an extremely dangerous situation.”
“ Helene weakens to a tropical storm as it passes inland over Georgia,” the NHC said in its latest bulletin. “Life-threatening storm surges, winds and heavy rain continue. »
Winds of tropical storm-like force are recorded up to 500 km from the eye of the hurricane, the NHC noted.
One person was killed when a sign fell onto a highway in coastal Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis said, while a man and woman were killed when their trailer was swept away by a tornado in Georgia , declared the governor of this state, Brian Kemp, and local media.
Images in US media showed torn billboards swept away by high winds and sparks flying from power lines, as more than two million people were left without power in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, according to tracking site PowerOutage.us.
PHOTO MARCO BELLO, REUTERS ARCHIVES
A man walks in the rain with shopping bags as hurricane strikes Helene is intensifying in Florida.
55 million Americans affected
More than 55 million Americans are affected by a weather alert with the passage ofHelenewith tornado warnings in those states.
The warnings remain in effect even though the hurricane, after making landfall, had gradually weakened, moving from category 4 to first on the Saffir-Simpson scale of five, with winds blowing at 145 km /h.
The NHC also warned of heavy rain in some locations and life-threatening flooding, as well as numerous landslides in the southern Appalachians.
The National Weather Service said it “will be one of the most significant weather events to occur in western parts of the region in modern times.”
Flooded homes and roads in Florida
The storm flooded homes and roads in Florida, where residents had been warned of an “insurmountable” storm surge.
Matt Heller, a Tampa Bay resident, told CNN his home was flooded with 4 feet of water less than half an hour after the storm began, while he took shelter in a kayak in his flooded living room. “This is certainly the biggest flood we have ever experienced.”
US President Joe Biden also “urged” residents to heed “calls to evacuate” issued by the authorities.
Helene dumps intense rains and the risk of marine submersion 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.
PHOTO OCTAVIO JONES, REUTERS
Residents of Leon County, Florida shelter from hurricane Helene in a secondary school.
“God will protect me”
On the coast near Tallahassee, many fled, having protected the windows of their homes with wooden boards.
But some like John Luper decided to stay in solidarity with his mother and brother. “They won’t leave,” he sighs, regretting their choice.
Authorities in Taylor County, Florida, asked residents reluctant to leave to write their names on their bodies with permanent markers to help identify them if they were 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. »
“Rescuers deployed”
Rescuers were deployed to Lee County on the Florida coast, its sheriff told X, sharing videos of men battling high winds to launch a rescue boat.
A state of emergency has been imposed in 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.
The particularity ofHelene is to be a particularly widespread hurricane. Its size makes it “one of the largest hurricanes over the Gulf of Mexico this century,” noted expert Michael Lowry.