Hurricane Helene makes landfall in Florida as ‘extremely dangerous’ Category 4 storm

Hurricane Helene made landfall late Thursday along the sparsely populated Big Bend section of Florida’s Gulf Coast as an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm. It could bring devastation to an area that has already been battered by two previous hurricanes, even as the state’s capital city may escape the worst.

According to the National Hurricane Center, Helene made landfall at 11:10 p.m. Eastern Time just east of the mouth of the Aucilla River, about 10 miles west-southwest of Perry, Florida. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 140 miles per hour at landfall.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a Thursday evening news conference at the state Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee shortly after landfall that there has already been one fatality in the state, a number he expected to rise by morning.

"When Floridians wake up tomorrow morning, we're going to be waking up to a state where very likely there's been additional loss of life, and certainly there's going to be loss of property," DeSantis said late Thursday. "You're going to have people that are going to lose their homes because of this storm, and so please keep those folks in mind. Keep them in your prayers."

The storm made landfall east of Tallahassee, a direct hit for rural Taylor County, which also was hit by Hurricane Debby in August and Hurricane Idalia just over a year ago.

The storm, which was upgraded to an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm by the National Hurricane Center just hours before its anticipated landfall, is the latest natural disaster testing the coastal state. The economic costs of the storm could be less than major hurricanes in the past because of where it came onshore — the comparatively sparsely populated Big Bend — but the effects of the storm are being felt statewide. At one point, nearly the entirety of Florida was under either a hurricane, tropical storm or tornado watch or warning.

Emergency management officials in Taylor, Franklin, Wakulla and other coastal counties declared mandatory evacuations for all residents ahead of Helene. The counties are defined by the state as “fiscally constrained,” due to economic factors and low property tax revenue.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell will travel to Florida on Friday to view the aftermath of Helene, she said at a White House press briefing in Washington earlier on Thursday. She said the storm will affect several states, but coastal flooding remains the most life-threatening, and that residents should listen closely to local officials.

“I need everybody to pay attention to their local officials,” Criswell said. “They’re going to have the best information on the specifics for where you’re at.”

FEMA distributes several billions in federal recovery dollars every year, and Criswell said the agency has enough on hand to aid in covering recovery costs from the storm. “We have exactly what we need, and there are no limitations to support the response to this disaster,” Criswell said.

Helene was slow to develop overnight, but the storm quickly became well-organized by midday Thursday as it moved north over the Gulf of Mexico and progressed toward the state at a rapid pace. The storm is expected to bring “catastrophic” winds inland that can damage even well-built structures. The coastline should expect storm surge of up to 20 feet in some areas, which could bring devastation to residents around Apalachee Bay, according to a report by the National Weather Service in Tallahassee.

Apalachee Bay is home to the picturesque fishing village of Apalachicola.

“There is a danger of catastrophic and unsurvivable storm surge for Apalachee Bay. Storm surge is arriving this morning and will continue to worsen throughout the day,” the forecast said. “This forecast is a nightmare surge scenario for Apalachee Bay. Please take any evacuation orders seriously!”

Helene shares the same deadly potential as Hurricane Michael, which blew up just before making landfall near Panama City Beach with winds of more than 160 mph in October 2018. The sudden intensification of the Category 3 Michael to a Category 5 surprised forecasters and emergency management officials, and the winds flattened entire blocks of homes in Mexico Beach.

National Weather Service forecasters anticipate the fast-moving Helene to continue bringing powerful winds as it moves toward Georgia. DeSantis said the storm could produce hurricane-force winds 50 miles outside of its eye. Georgia, North Carolina and other states have already declared states of emergency in anticipation of the storm.

Officials at the Florida Division of Emergency Management began preparing for the hurricane over the weekend when it was still a disorganized weather disturbance. National Weather Service forecasters identified the disturbance as a potential major hurricane with winds of more than 110 miles per hour before it became a named storm, which was the first time in history.

The storm surge by Helene could reach 20 feet along the Big Bend, which would be higher than Hurricane Ian, which brought 18 feet of surge to Southwest Florida in September 2022. Helene also brought surge and wind farther down the Gulf Coast, including Tampa Bay, where the Howard Frankland and Sunshine Skyway bridges were closed.

The state has brought in 18,000 linemen to help restore order to an expected massive rash of power outages throughout the path of the storm. DeSantis has also called in 3,500 Florida National Guard members, 200 Florida Highway Patrol troopers and dozens of search and rescue teams. The state has also amassed a reserve of more than 700,000 gallons of diesel, gasoline and propane, although DeSantis said there have been no reports of gas shortages as with some previous hurricanes.

DeSantis said he anticipates a seamless collaboration of linemen from power companies, electric cooperatives and publicly owned utilities in efforts to quickly restore electricity to thousands of people. As of 9 p.m. on Thursday, at least 445,000 households were already without power, according to the Florida Public Service Commission. He hinted at the state’s response to Hurricane Hermine, which knocked out power for most of Tallahassee for days. The delays led then-Gov. Rick Scott to squabble with city officials over hiring additional linemen.

“You did not see that in the past,” DeSantis said earlier Thursday. “Did you see Tallahassee mobilizing the way it did in the past? No.”

Steven Shepard contributed to this report.