Gov. DeSantis provides Thursday morning update on Hurricane Helene

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — Ron DeSantis provided an update on Hurricane Helene Thursday morning ahead of the storm’s landfall.

He warned of debris and damage as the storm passes, especially in Tallahassee, saying to anticipate a need for “serious debris removal.”

Overnight, the state had 14 different tornado warnings and urged residents to continue their last-minute preparations.

DeSantis also warned residents to stay away from where trees could fall, even when in their homes, and to stay away from live wires in standing water.

“Don’t put yourself at risk,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis spoke from Tallahassee at the State Emergency Operations Center and was joined by Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie, Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue, and Major General John Haas.

“You do have time to evacuate, but that time is now,” Guthrie said.

Guthrie said residents don’t need to go far, but they should head more inland to a safer area. He also urged residents to stay indoors until it is safe since the eye of the storm may pass and does not indicate that the storm is over.

“Stay in place, do not move,” Guthrie added.

After the storm, several hundred officials will be deployed to help with recovery efforts. There will be 30,000 linemen staged.

On Thursday morning, Hurricane Helene became a Category 2 hurricane and is forecasted to bring “catastrophic” storm surge and wind to parts of Florida, the National Hurricane Center said.

The storm is expected to make landfall as a Category 4 in Florida’s Big Bend Region on Thursday night.

In an 8 a.m. update, the storm has maximum sustained winds at 100 mph and is moving north at 12mph.

WFLA live streamed the press conference, which can be viewed in the video player above.

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