Three people were killed Friday during the hurricane’s passage Helene which has weakened but remains “extremely dangerous” after hitting the southeast coast of the United States as it surges inland, 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 surge and heavy rain. “This is an extremely dangerous situation.”
Winds of tropical storm-like force are recorded up to 500 km from the eye of the hurricane, the NHC noted.
The hurricane killed two people in the state of Georgia on Friday after killing one person in Florida.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said on X that two people had died in the central part of the state, calling on all residents “to prepare for further impacts ofHeleneto remain vigilant and to pray for all those affected.”
Local media reported that these two victims, a man and a woman, were killed when a caravan was swept away by a tornado.
For his part, Florida State Governor Ron DeSantis said a person was killed while driving in the coastal city of Tampa.
After making landfall, the hurricane gradually weakened, moving from category 4 to first on the Saffir-Simpson scale of five, with winds blowing at 145 km/h.
A few hours after making landfall in Florida, Helene weakened “to become a tropical storm as it passed inland, over Georgia”, a neighboring state to Florida, the NHC said.
Two million homes and businesses without electricity
More than two million homes and businesses were without power in Florida and Georgia as the storm moved north, according to the tracking site PowerOutage.us.
More than 55 million Americans are affected by a weather alert with the passage of the hurricane Helenewith tornado warnings in northern Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas.
The NHC also warned of heavy rain in some locations and life-threatening flooding, as well as numerous landslides in the southern Appalachians.
“Insurmountable”
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.”
Florida residents had been warned of an “unsurvivable” storm surge, with images showing flooded homes and intense rain.
Helene is already dumping 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.
President Joe Biden “urged” residents to heed “calls to evacuate” issued by authorities.
“I’m staying here”
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 reluctant residents 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. »
Three other states under threat
Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina will also feel the effects of the hurricane.
In Florida, a state of emergency has been imposed across almost the entire state. Some 3,500 National Guard troops 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.
While several hurricanes have already hit the United States this year, including Beryl And Debbythese were less powerful thanHelene when it hits the ground.