A graphic showing the forecast for Hurricane Helene, released at 5 p.m. EST, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, before the storm makes landfall in the Big Bend region. Red represents a hurricane warning, blue represents a tropical storm warning. (Screenshot via National Hurricane Center)
State officials predict Hurricane Helene will make landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region around 11 p.m. Thursday, later than previous projections and auguring hazardous conditions during the dark.
Given the late landfall, DeSantis warned not to assess or attempt to fix damage in the dark.
“Let it get light, there’s going to be hazards there, it’s just not something you want to be navigating in the dark,” DeSantis said.
The Florida National Guard, Florida State Troopers, and other emergency rescue resources are on standby as soon as the storm passes, DeSantis said.
“If you do hunker down, I don’t think you’re going to have the local sheriff’s department, I don’t think you’re going to see state resources brought to bear for the rescue until it’s safe to do so,” DeSantis said.
Hurricane Helene was producing maximum sustained winds near 130 mph, according to a Thursday evening National Hurricane Center update, making it an “extremely dangerous Category 4 storm.”
DeSantis said, “We’ll hope for the best,” and added, “There is going to be damage and there’s going to be a response, and I think we’ll all be on top of it.”
Thursday morning DeSantis said not to wait to evacuate.
But by 6 p.m., Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie warned, “If you’ve not already left, you’re probably going to need to start looking at sheltering in place. Stay inside, stay safe, stay put.”
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A 5 p.m. EST update from the National Hurricane Center said Helene’s storm surge would be “life-threatening.” Storm surge was expected along the entire west coast of Florida, reaching up to 20 feet in the Big Bend region, according to National Hurricane Center forecasts .
After the storm makes its way through Florida, all of Georgia and South Carolina stand in tropical storm warnings, with much of southern Georgia in a hurricane warning. Parts of Tennessee, North Carolina, and Alabama are included in tropical storm warnings, too.
Falling trees are especially of concern with the high winds, as Tallahassee and the Big Bend region are heavily wooded.
“If you are sheltering at home, be cognizant of what trees are around you. You have 125 mile an hour maximum sustained right now, probably is going to be higher,” DeSantis said.
FL511 has the most up to date road condition information, according to Jared Perdue, Florida’s secretary of transportation.
“Water over a road can be very dangerous, especially around culverts and bridges,” Perdue said. “Every storm season, we see people try to navigate through water. You have no idea what’s going on underneath the water. Please do not drive through it.”
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