Hurricane Helena leaves a trail of destruction in Florida and Georgia
Hurricane Helena, a Category 4 storm, has struck the American states of Florida and Georgia. Recordings have surfaced online showing the scale of the devastation caused by the natural disaster.
Authorities have reported that there are already three fatalities as a consequence of the storm. One person died in Florida when an object overturned by the wind landed on their car. In southern Georgia, two fatalities were recorded after a tornado hit a mobile home.
Substantial damage occurred as powerful storms swept through much of Florida. Photos and videos of flooded homes and streets have emerged online. Meteorologists forecasted storm surges reaching 6 metres.
The Florida authorities had previously decided to evacuate thousands of people.
State of emergency declared
Over one million homes and businesses in Florida were left without power, and over 50,000 in Georgia were affected. The governors of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia declared a state of emergency.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis anticipated that when Florida residents woke up the following morning, they would likely find additional casualties and property destruction.
Outside of Florida, up to 25 centimetres of rain has fallen in the mountains of North Carolina, with an additional potential of up to 35 centimetres, which may cause floods that meteorologists believe could be worse than anything seen in the past century.
The NWS reported that several counties in Georgia could experience hurricane winds exceeding 175 km/h.
