By Friday morning, Currie and her team shifted focus to damage in Tallahassee. Currie said the initial assessment found more than 50 roads blocked by downed trees, with nine power transmission lines, six substations and 46 circuits out.
Widespread winds clocking in at 140 mph also took down power lines. Here’s a look at some of the damage photos Currie sent back to KXAN.
During the storm
Around 10 p.m. Thursday, Currie gave a live update from Tallahassee, just as hurricane-force winds were starting to take over the area. She said she anticipated street flooding to pick up and more tree limbs to break as the storm moved over the city.
Currie also posted a video of the outer eyewall of Helene hitting Tallahassee just before 11 p.m. Thursday. She said this is the strongest storm on record for this part of Florida.
Preparations before the storm
Currie and her team arrived in Tallahassee early Thursday morning.
Many businesses in the area were boarding up and placing sandbags before the storm hit. A LongHorn Steakhouse manager told Currie in his 14 years here, they’ve never boarded up the business.
More than 50% of the city of Tallahassee has tree canopy, with 78 miles of roadway lined with trees, according to Currie. This posed a significant risk for power outages and debris with the high winds from the storm.
DeSantis also mentioned 3,500 National Guard soldiers were available for response, with another 2,000 on standby. Currie caught a glimpse of some of those soldiers in a hotel.
Although Tallahassee is more inland, Currie also talked about the “extreme storm surge” folks along the Gulf Coast would experience — up to 15 to 20 feet.
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