Tag Archives: Hurricane Helene
Dozens dead and millions without power after Helene’s deadly march across southeastern US
Hurricane Helene caused dozens of deaths and billions of dollars of destruction across a wide swath of the southeastern U.S. as it raced through, and more than 3 million customers went into the weekend without any power and for some a continued threat of floods. Helene blew ashore in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane late Thursday packing winds of 140 mph (225 kph) and then quickly moved through Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee, uprooting trees, splintering homes and sending creeks and rivers over their banks and straining dams. The storm, now a post-tropical cyclone, was expected to hover over the Tennessee Valley on Saturday and Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said. Several flood and flash flood warnings remained in effect in parts of the southern and central Appalachians, while high wind warnings also covered parts of Tennessee and Ohio. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:54
‘Still floating’: Florida fishermen and boaters ride out Hurricane Helene
Winds whipped over 100 mph. Waters threatened hundreds of miles of Florida coast. And Philip Tooke managed to punch out a terse but frantic message from his phone as he sat riding out Hurricane Helene – not in his house, but on his boat. “Lost power,” he wrote from St. Mark’s, 30 miles south of Tallahassee and 20 miles away from where Hurricane Helene hit the mouth of the Aucilla River. But, he adds: “Still floating.” Tooke, the 63-year-old owner of a local seafood market, and his brother are spending the hurricane aboard their fishing boats. The pair are among the Floridians who took to the water for their survival. They did so despite evacuation orders made ahead of the Category 4 hurricane and grisly warnings that foretold death for those who stayed. Video, Photo gallery, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:05
Hurricane Helene will make catastrophic Florida landfall; Tallahassee is near direct path
Hurricane Helene’s wide and destructive wind field was moving along the Gulf Coast of Florida southwest of Tampa on Thursday morning and is expected to rapidly intensify on a direct path for the state’s Big Bend region, where it could pose “a nightmare surge scenario for Apalachee Bay,” according to the National Weather Service. The state’s capital, Tallahassee, is just east of the direct path of Helene, which reached Category 2 strength Thursday and is expected to grow into a major Category 3 storm before making landfall late Thursday or early Friday morning. Forecasters said Helene will intensify further than previously forecast, predicting 130 mph winds before landfall. “This forecast, if realized, is a nightmare surge scenario for Apalachee Bay,” the National Weather Service office said. “Please, please, please take any evacuation orders seriously!” Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:29
Live updates: Helene strengthening, now forecast to hit Florida as Category 4 hurricane
Helene became a hurricane late Wednesday morning and is rapidly strengthening. The storm is forecast to barrel into Florida’s Gulf Coast as a monster Category 4 hurricane with up to 132-mph winds Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center. Hurricane Helene is expected to intensify and grow rapidly over the Gulf of Mexico before slamming into Florida’s Gulf Coast. According to AccuWeather forecasters, the highest landfall probability is “somewhere along the eastern part of the Florida Panhandle–perhaps in the Big Bend area–late Thursday evening.” However, an earlier landfall over the Florida Peninsula is possible if Helene tracks farther to the southeast, forecasters said. There is a danger of life-threatening storm surge along the entire west coast of Florida and Florida’s Big Bend, the NHC reported. The highest inundation levels and potentially catastrophic hurricane-force winds are expected along the Big Bend coast. Video, lots of images, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 19:06 Stay safe!
