Hurricane Helene hits Florida as one of the largest storms to strike US
Helene roared ashore Florida’s Big Bend region as one of the most powerful storms to hit the United States, with officials fearing the hurricane would leave a trail of deaths and widespread destruction as it moved inland.
At least one fatality in Florida was blamed on the hurricane so far, authorities said, as the Category 4 storm made landfall around 11:10 p.m. Eastern time (0310 GMT). Even before its arrival, the storm had caused power outages for over 1 million customers and severe flooding in several areas.
Officials feared more fatalities would be discovered on Friday as the storm gusted in with 140 mph (225 kph) winds. Helene is expected to trigger storm surges that could send 20 feet (6 meters) of seawater on land, and dump even more rain.
Authorities said it would likely be several hours before any rescue personnel could head out to help those in need.
Helene is tied as the 14th most powerful hurricane to hit anywhere in the United States since records have been kept, and is the seventh most powerful to slam into Florida, according to data from the National Hurricane Center.
