At least three people have died after Hurricane Helene made landfall on the United States coast, becoming the most powerful hurricane to hit Florida’s Big Bend, a geographical area in the northwest of the state, with winds of up to 209 kilometres per hour.
One of the fatalities occurred in the state of Florida, while the other two were recorded in Georgia, according to the American television network CNN.
More than 1.5 million people have already been left without power in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, with Florida being the hardest hit state. Despite breaking through with great force, ‘Helene’ has reduced its power to Category 2 with maximum sustained winds of 177 kilometers per hour, so it will continue to produce “catastrophic winds” as it moves towards southern Georgia .
“This is an extremely dangerous and potentially life-threatening situation. People should not leave their shelters and should remain in place during these life-threatening conditions. People are reminded not to venture out into the relative calm in the eye of the hurricane as dangerous winds will increase very rapidly once the storm passes,” the US National Hurricane Center warned.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has asked people to evacuate designated areas and has assured that there are already personnel and resources ready to respond to emergency situations generated by the hurricane. ” We cannot control the strength that this hurricane will acquire . We cannot control its path, but what we can control is what we can do to have the best chance of being able to handle it safely,” he assured during a press conference.
For his part, the country’s president, Joe Biden, has already declared a state of emergency for the states of Florida, North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama, for which they will receive financial and personnel assistance from federal authorities.
‘Helene’ had been rapidly and continuously intensifying in recent hours as a result of the “extremely warm” waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
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