Hurricane Helene caused serious damage when it swept across the states of Florida and Georgia in the southeastern region of the United States in the early morning of September 27. At least three people were killed and millions lost power, while many areas were flooded and many businesses were paralyzed.
According to records, storm Helene made landfall at level 4, causing chaos right from late at night. In coastal cities like Tampa, Naples and St. Petersburg, Florida, scenes of destruction were recorded with boats capsized in the harbor, trees toppled, and cars flooded on the roads. These images show the terrible level of destruction caused by the storm.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the death toll could increase as rescue and search operations take place. He confirmed the first fatality was a driver who was hit by storm debris while driving. At the same time, in Georgia, Governor Brian Kemp announced that two more victims were killed when their tractor was hit by a tornado.
In addition, more than 1.2 million people in Florida and 800,000 people in Georgia faced widespread power outages, according to announcements from power companies. This increases the difficulties for residents as they have to cope with the consequences of the storm.
Hurricane Helene is considered one of the strongest storms ever to make landfall in the US, and is especially the 7th strongest storm in the state of Florida. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that Helene is the 14th storm to make landfall in the United States since statistics began. With winds of up to 225 km/h as it entered Florida, the storm quickly weakened to 110 km/h as it moved north through Georgia, but remained potentially dangerous due to heavy rain and prolonged flooding.
Although the storm has weakened, authorities still warn people of the possibility of serious flooding, with rainfall forecast to reach up to 50 cm in some areas. In the states of Florida and Georgia, heavy rain continued to fall in many places, and spread to neighboring states such as South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee.
Before the storm made landfall, President Joe Biden and local officials repeatedly urged people to follow official evacuation orders. However, some people still decided to stay home and wait for the storm to pass. Police in Taylor County (Florida) even made a surprising recommendation, suggesting that those who do not evacuate should use permanent ink to write their name and date of birth on their arms to help identify them in the worst case scenario. .
On September 26, major airports in Florida such as Tampa, Tallahassee and St. Petersburg had to shut down due to the impact of the storm. Forecasts show that heavy rain will continue in the coming days in many areas, causing the risk of flooding and landslides.
Director of the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Ms. Deanne Criswell, said she will go to Florida on September 27 to directly assess the extent of damage and coordinate relief activities after the storm. . The current situation requires close coordination between federal and local authorities to ensure safety and timely support for affected people.