Helene made landfall on the night of this Thursday in the Big Bend region of Florida as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, accompanied by storm surges described as "catastrophic" and extremely dangerous winds.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) of the U.S. confirmed that the eye of the storm entered at 11:10 p.m. about 40 miles from Tallahassee, the state capital, just east of the mouth of the Aucilla River, and about 10 miles from the rural town of Perry.
After intensifying for several hours while crossing the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, Helene made landfall with maximum sustained winds of 225 km (140 mph).
The impact of Helene, the largest hurricane to ever hit that area of Florida, has left impressive images posted by residents in the area.
Videos on social media reveal the strength of the winds, as well as heavy rains and flooding.
In addition to Perry, which was one of the hardest-hit areas, there are videos from other parts of the west and north coast of the state.
Stunning images from Cedar Key, in Levy County, revealed the extent of the flooding that nearly submerged entire homes.
In Madeira Beach, in Pinellas County, there were heavy floods.
Sea penetrations also in St. Pete Beach, in Pinellas County.
Also impressive were some videos that showed the explosion of electrical transformers.
As often happens in such cases, some journalists exposed themselves more than necessary when reporting on the weather situation.
The NHC recommended that residents in the most dangerous areas not leave their shelters and remain in them until the high-risk conditions had passed.
Unfortunately, at least one person died when a traffic sign fell on their vehicle while traveling on the I-4 highway in the city of Tampa, as confirmed by the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP).
That person -whose identity has not been disclosed- became the first fatality associated with Hurricane Helene.
After impacting the Big Bend coast in Florida as a category 4, Helene has weakened in its landfall over the state of Georgia.
According to the latest report from the National Hurricane Center, the hurricane was located about 160 km southwest of Augusta and about 65 km southeast of Macon. The maximum sustained winds of the hurricane have decreased to 120 km (75 mph) and it is moving quickly to the north at about 48 km/h.
Helene continues to move inland into central Georgia and is producing hurricane-force winds and heavy rains, indicating a dangerous and potentially deadly situation for those residing in that area.
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