When the category one storm hits Florida on Thursday night local time, it is expected to strengthen swiftly into a powerful category four hurricane, with official forecasts and warnings characterizing its anticipated effects as “catastrophic,” “life-threatening,” and “unsurvivable.”
Prior to the storm’s arrival, the governors of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida have all declared states of emergency.
Hurricane Patricia avoided serious damage to Mexico when it passed off its northeast coast without making landfall, sparing the Yucatán peninsula and the popular tourist destinations of Cancún and Cozumel.
Certain areas of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo flooded as a result of torrential rains.
In the neighborhood where most of the city’s hotels are situated, busses were seen trying to navigate flooded streets in videos that were uploaded by visitors and locals to Cancún.
However, the governor of the state declared that there were no casualties, and authorities stated that the areas that had lost electricity were getting their power back.
Helene’s greatest sustained winds reached 140 km/h (85 mph) around 06:00 GMT.
The category one hurricane, according to the US-based National Hurricane Center (NHC), was traveling over the Gulf of Mexico at a speed of 12 mph (19 km/h). It was predicted to intensify quickly, posing a threat to the northeastern Gulf Coast with catastrophic winds and storm surge.
