Helene became a hurricane Wednesday
with a surge that could swallow entire homes, a chilling warning that sent residents scrambling for higher ground, closed schools, and led to states of emergency throughout the Southeast.The hurricane ranks in the 90th percentile for its sheer size, and it could create a surge as high as 18 feet in places, forecasters said. The fast-moving storm’s wind and rain could penetrate far inland, even as it weakens after landfall in Florida late Thursday, authorities warned.
“This hurricane is heading straight to Tallahassee, so I really don’t know what to expect,” Benjamin said. But Robbie Berg, a national warning coordinator for the hurricane center, warned: “Please do not compare it to other storms you may have experienced over the past year or two." In Cuba, authorities moved cattle to higher ground and medical brigades went to communities often cut off by storms. The government preventively shut off power in some communities as waves as high as 16 feet slammed Cortes Bay. In the Cayman Islands, schools remained closed as flood warnings continued and residents pumped water from flooded homes.Wind-driven waves battered Florida's Key West on Wednesday.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who already issued an emergency for most counties, warned residents Wednesday they needed to heed evacuation orders. A dozen health care facilities including hospitals and nursing homes had evacuated preemptively, DeSantis said.
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