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ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Widespread devastation left behind by Hurricane Helene came to light Monday, Sept. 30, across the South, revealing a wasteland of splintered houses, crushed cargo containers and mud-covered highways in one of the worst storms in U.S. history. The death toll topped 130. A crisis was unfolding in western North Carolina, where residents stranded by washed-out roads and by a lack of power and cellular service lined up for fresh water and a chance to message loved ones days after the storm that they were alive. At least 133 deaths in six Southeastern states have been attributed to the storm that inflicted damage from Florida’s Gulf Coast to the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia. The toll steadily rose as emergency workers reached areas isolated by collapsed roads, failing infrastructure and widespread flooding. During a briefing Monday, White House homeland security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall suggested as many as 600 people hadn’t been accounted for as of Monday afternoon, saying some might be dead. President Joe Biden said he will travel to North Carolina on Wednesday to meet with officials and take an aerial tour of Asheville. He said earlier that the federal government would be with affected residents in the nation’s southeast “as long as it takes.” Government officials and aid groups worked to deliver supplies by air, truck and even mule to the hard-hit tourism hub of Asheville and its surrounding mountain towns. At least 40 people died in the county that includes Asheville. The destruction and desperation were unimaginable. A flattened cargo container sat atop a bridge crossing a river with muddy brown water. A mass of debris, including overturned pontoon boats and splintered wooden docks and tree trunks covered the surface of Lake Lure, a picturesque spot tucked between the mountains outside Ashville. A woman cradled her child while people around her gathered on a hillside where they found cellphone service, many sending a simple text: “I’m OK.” The North Carolina death toll included one horrific story after another of people who were trapped by floodwaters in their homes and vehicles or were killed by falling trees. A courthouse security officer died after being submerged inside his truck. A couple and a 6-year-old boy waiting to be rescued on a rooftop drowned when part of their home collapsed. Rescuers did manage to save dozens, including an infant and two others stuck on the top of a car in Atlanta. More than 50 hospital patients and staff in Tennessee were plucked by helicopter from the hospital rooftop in a daring rescue operation. How some of the worst-hit areas are coping Several main routes into Asheville were washed away or blocked by mudslides, including a 4-mile section of Interstate 40, and the city’s water system was severely damaged, forcing residents to scoop creek water into buckets so they could flush toilets. People shared food and water and comforted one another in one neighborhood where a wall of water ripped away all of the trees, leaving a muddy mess nearby. “That’s the blessing so far in this,” Sommerville Johnston said outside her home, which has been without power since Friday. She planned on treating the neighborhood to venison stew from her powerless freezer before it goes bad. “Just bring your bowl and spoon,” she said. Others waited in a line for more than a block at Mountain Valley Water, a water seller, to fill up milk jugs and whatever other containers they could find. Derek Farmer, who brought three gallon-sized apple juice containers, said he had been prepared for the storm but now was nervous after three days without water. “I just didn’t know how bad it was going to be,” Farmer said. Officials warned that rebuilding would be lengthy and difficult. The storm upended life throughout the Southeast, where deaths were also reported in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia. Helene roared ashore in northern Florida late Thursday as a Category 4 hurricane and quickly moved through Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee. The storm upended life throughout the Southeast, where deaths were also reported in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia. Federal Emergency Management Agency officials said Monday that shelters were housing more than 1,000 people. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper took an aerial tour of the Asheville area and later met with workers distributing meals. “This has been an unprecedented storm that has hit western North Carolina,” he said afterward. “It’s requiring an unprecedented response.” Officials implored travelers from coming into region to keep the roads clear for emergency vehicles. More than 50 search teams spread throughout the region in search of stranded people. Waiting for help and searching for a signal in North Carolina Several dozen people gathered on high ground in Asheville, where they found one of the city’s hottest commodities — a cell signal. “Is this day three or day four?” Colleen Burnet asked. “It’s all been a blur.” The storm unleashed the worst flooding in a century in North Carolina. Rainfall estimates in some areas topped more than 2 feet since Wednesday. Ten federal search and rescue teams were on the ground and another nine were on their way, while trucks and cargo planes were arriving with food and water, FEMA said. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell surveyed damage with Cooper Monday. Volunteers were showing up, too. Mike Toberer decided to bring a dozen of his mules to deliver food, water and diapers to hard-to-reach mountainous areas. “We’ll take our chainsaws, and we’ll push those mules through,” he said, noting that each one can carry about 200 pounds of supplies. Why western North Carolina was hit so hard Western North Carolina suffered relatively more devastation because that’s where the remnants of Helene encountered the higher elevations and cooler air of the Appalachian Mountains, causing even more rain to fall. Asheville and many surrounding mountain towns were built in valleys, leaving them especially vulnerable to devastating rain and flooding. Plus, the ground already was saturated before Helene arrived, said Christiaan Patterson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “By the time Helene came into the Carolinas, we already had that rain on top of more rain,” Patterson said. Climate change has exacerbated conditions that allow such storms to thrive, rapidly intensifying in warming waters and turning into powerful cyclones, sometimes within hours. Destruction from Florida to Virginia Along Florida’s Gulf Coast, several feet of water swamped the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, forcing workers to move two manatees and sea turtles. All of the animals were safe but much of the aquarium’s vital equipment was damaged or destroyed, said James Powell, the aquarium’s executive director. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said the storm “literally spared no one.” Most people in and around Augusta, a city of about 200,000 near the South Carolina border, were still without power Monday. With at least 30 killed in South Carolina, Helene was the deadliest tropical cyclone to hit the state since Hurricane Hugo made landfall north of Charleston in 1989, killing 35 people. Tropical Storm Kirk forms and could become a powerful hurricane Tropical Storm Kirk formed Monday in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and is expected to become a “large and powerful hurricane” by Tuesday night or Wednesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. The storm was located about 800 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph. There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect, and the storm system was not a threat to land.

In the wake of Hurricane Helene, three states have issued travel advisories while the number of missing and dead continues to rise. NCDOT Urges People to Avoid Travel in Western North Carolina North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) transportation officials are urging people to avoid unnecessary travel in western North Carolina as about 390 roads, including areas along Interstate 40 and dozens of highways in the foothills and mountains, remain closed due to flooding, downed trees, landslides or catastrophic damage from Helene. “Our top priority is everyone’s safety and well-being,” said Joey Hopkins, state Transportation Secretary. “People should still consider roads in western North Carolina to be closed and avoid travel unless it is absolutely necessary. Priority must be given to all the emergency responders, utility and transportation crews, and others who are working hard to help with what will be a lengthy response and recovery effort.” According to NCDOT, crews are working around the clock to assess the widespread damage to roads and will prioritize efforts to reopen interstates, U.S. and state highways first before getting to state-maintained secondary roads. Emergency response and recovery effort will likely take months as damage to many roads and bridges is serious. Hundreds of thousands of power outages and limited cell phone coverage are impacting those efforts. More than 1,600 NCDOT employees and contract crews are working with utilities to clear roads of debris, repair others where possible, and determine how to repair or replace roads more seriously damaged or destroyed, according to NCDOT. Crews from lesser impacted parts of the state have been deploying to the western part of the state since Friday and include crews bringing in fuel, backhoes and front-end loaders to remove debris from mudslides and chainsaw teams to cut and shove downed trees from roads. Most of the road closures are west of Interstate 77 due to high water where the roads are impassable or flooded, pipes that have failed beneath roads, or roads and bridges covered by debris from rock slides, downed power lines and fallen trees. The department has begun this weekend assessing repair plans and timelines for the damage done to the road network. More than 60 closures are along primary routes including I-40, U.S. 74, U.S. 64 and dozens of other U.S. and N.C. highways. “The scope and magnitude of this devastation is unlike anything many long-time residents have ever seen in western North Carolina,” Hopkins said. “We’re doing everything we can to help North Carolina recover from this devastating storm but this will be a long-term effort. We need people to be patient and help us with the recovery effort by staying off the roads.” For real-time travel information, visit DriveNC.gov​ or follow NCDOT on social media. West TN TDOT Dispatched to East TN The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) Strike Force team and bridge inspection crews have been dispatched to East Tennessee to assist with recovery and repairs following historic flooding caused by Helene. “Our Strike Force team is a specialized group that can deploy quickly in a disaster with the equipment needed,” TDOT said. “This team is made up of emergency responders, engineers, and transportation experts who work to remove debris and ensure public safety. The goal of this team is to provide immediate relief and begin the recovery process in flood-affected communities.” According to TDOT, Region 4’s bridge inspection team is inspecting impacted bridges with high water, assessing the erosion of soil around its piers and abutments due to water flow. Scour can weaken the bridge’s structural integrity. Proper evaluation is critical for ensuring the bridge’s safety, and having the extra team members in place will allow the inspection teams to cover more ground, potentially opening any closed routes. While West Tennessee experienced localized flooding and downed trees, the damage in East Tennessee is vast. Damage statistics on state roadways as of midday Sunday, September 29 are as follows: 27 state roadway sections closed. 14 state bridges closed. Five state bridges destroyed. While there is no immediate timeframe for full repairs, TDOT’s current priority is ensuring public safety and reconnecting communities that have been severed due to damage. Get the latest construction activity traffic updates from the TDOT SmartWay Map. Travelers can also call 511 for statewide travel information. Road clearing continues in Southwest Georgia, debris removal preparations underway The clearing of Southwest Georgia state roads continues and preparations are underway for removal of debris that has been pushed to the shoulder, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT). As of Sunday morning, there were 58 closures on state routes in the Southwest GDOT district, which borders Florida. The hurricane made landfall Thursday night in northwest Florida and wind speeds remained dangerously high as it crossed into Georgia. “The closures are largely due to power lines tangled in trees, which can’t be removed until utility companies ensure it is safe. Power outages remain widespread,” GDOT said. “Georgia DOT has contracted with two companies to remove debris, which will allow state crews to continue clearing routes and to fill city and county resource requests. No pickup schedule has been announced.” According to GDOT, Helene also battered traffic signals and, at some intersections, a loop of wiring is all that remains intact. Technicians are striving to replace damaged signals before power is restored. To reach that goal, they are assisted by a contractor and GDOT technicians from other areas of the state. Southwest district department heads Saturday requested additional signal crews due to the extensive amount of damage. GDOT also issued a few safety reminders as the post-Helene recovery marathon continues: Drivers failing to stop at “dark” (without power) signalized intersections continues to be an issue. Treat these intersections like a four-way stop. The same rule applies if a signal is flashing red. Please give Georgia DOT crews space to work safely. If possible, move over a lane. Vehicles clearing roads will make frequent stops so don’t tailgate. For the safety of signal technicians working in bucket trucks, slow down as you approach and don’t crowd the trucks. Drive alert. There are many “leaners and hangers” on road shoulders – trees that are leaning over lanes and trees that would have fallen onto the road if they weren’t hanging on something. Work is underway to identify those locations on state route rights of way so they can be cleared. Though the hurricane brought a lot of rain, local road or bridge flooding was minimal and only one bridge remains closed off the state highway system in Reed Bingham State Park in Cook County, according to GDOT. Bridge inspectors are expected to evaluate it early next week. For updates on the status, check https://gastateparks.org/ReedBingham. For real-time road conditions anywhere in the state, call 511 or click on www.511ga.org.

Hurricane Helene has killed and destroyed far and wide — from Tampa to Atlanta to Asheville, North Carolina. The storm’s high winds, heavy rains and sheer size created a perfect mix for devastation. Helene made landfall late Thursday, Sept. 26, along a largely undeveloped expanse of pine trees and salt marshes on Florida’s Big Bend coast, but it immediately displayed its far-reaching power several hundred miles away. As of Sunday evening, nearly 100 people were confirmed killed. Numerous roadways, including a stretch of Interstate 40 in North Carolina and Tennessee that is a major freight corridor, have been damaged or completely destroyed by flood waters. So many trees were toppled in South Carolina that at one point more than 40% of the state lost electricity. In North Carolina, dams were in jeopardy of failing and entire communities are cut off by floods. Authorities struggled Sunday to get water and other supplies to isolated, flood-stricken areas across the U.S. Southeast in the wake of Hurricane Helene as the death toll from the storm rose. A North Carolina County that includes the mountain city of Asheville reported 30 people killed due to the storm, pushing the overall death toll to at least 91 people across several states. Supplies were being airlifted to the region around the isolated city. Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder pledged that she would have food and water into Ashville — which is known for its arts, culture and natural attractions — by Monday. “We hear you. We need food and we need water,” Pinder said on a Sunday call with reporters. “My staff has been making every request possible to the state for support and we’ve been working with every single organization that has reached out. What I promise you is that we are very close.” Officials warned that rebuilding from the widespread loss of homes and property would be lengthy and difficult. The storm upended life throughout the Southeast. Deaths also were reported in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia. North Carolina governor predicts the death toll will rise as rescuers reach isolated areas North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper predicted the toll would rise as rescuers and other emergency workers reached areas isolated by collapsed roads, failing infrastructure and widespread flooding. He implored residents in western North Carolina to avoid travel, both for their own safety and to keep roads clear for emergency vehicles. More than 50 search teams spread throughout the region in search of stranded people. One rescue effort involved saving 41 people north of Asheville. Another mission focused on saving a single infant. The teams found people through both 911 calls and social media messages, North Carolina National Guard Adjutant General Todd Hunt said. President Joe Biden described the impact of the storm as “stunning” and said he would visit the area this week as long as it does not disrupt rescues or recovery work. Hurricane Helene roared ashore late Thursday in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane with 140 mph winds. A weakened Helene quickly moved through Georgia, then soaked the Carolinas and Tennessee with torrential rains that flooded creeks and rivers and strained dams. There have been hundreds of water rescues, including in rural Unicoi County in East Tennessee, where dozens of patients and staff were plucked by helicopter from a hospital rooftop Friday. Several million customers were still without power Sunday afternoon. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster asked for patience as crews dealt with widespread snapped power poles. “We want people to remain calm. Help is on the way, it is just going to take time,” McMaster told reporters outside the airport in Aiken County. Begging for help in North Carolina; that help is slow to arrive The storm unleashed the worst flooding in a century in North Carolina. One community, Spruce Pine, was doused with over 2 feet of rain from Tuesday through Saturday. Jessica Drye Turner in Texas had begged for someone to rescue her family members stranded on their rooftop in Asheville amid rising floodwaters. “They are watching 18-wheelers and cars floating by,” Turner wrote in an urgent Facebook post on Friday. But in a follow-up message Saturday, Turner said help had not arrived in time to save her parents, both in their 70s, and her 6-year-old nephew. The roof collapsed and the three drowned. “I cannot convey in words the sorrow, heartbreak and devastation my sisters and I are going through,” she wrote. The state was sending water supplies and other items toward Buncombe County and Asheville, but mudslides blocking Interstate 40 and other highways prevented supplies from making it. The county’s own water supplies were on the other side of the Swannanoa River, away from where most of the 270,000 people in Buncombe County live, officials said. Law enforcement was making plans to send officers to places that still had water, food or gas because of reports of arguments and threats of violence, the county sheriff said. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell toured south Georgia on Sunday and planned to be in North Carolina Monday. “It’s still very much an active search and rescue mission” in western North Carolina, Criswell said. “And we know that there’s many communities that are cut off just because of the geography” of the mountains, where damage to roads and bridges have cut off certain areas. Biden on Saturday pledged federal government help for Helene’s “overwhelming” devastation. He also approved a disaster declaration for North Carolina, making federal funding available for affected individuals. Storm-battered Florida digs out, residents gather for church In Florida’s Big Bend, some lost nearly everything they own. With sanctuaries still darkened as of Sunday morning, some churches canceled regular services while others like Faith Baptist Church in Perry opted to worship outside. Standing water and tree debris still covers the grounds of Faith Baptist Church. The church called on parishioners to come “pray for our community” in a message posted to the congregation’s Facebook page. “We have power. We don’t have electricity,” Immaculate Conception Catholic Church parishioner Marie Ruttinger said. “Our God has power. That’s for sure.” Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said Saturday that it looked “like a bomb went off” after viewing splintered homes and debris-covered highways from the air. In eastern Georgia near the border with South Carolina, officials notified Augusta residents Sunday morning that water service would be shut off for 24 to 48 hours in the city and surrounding Richmond County. A news release said trash and debris from the storm “blocked our ability to pump water.” Officials were distributing bottled water. With at least 25 killed in South Carolina, Helene was the deadliest tropical cyclone for the state since Hurricane Hugo made landfall north of Charleston in 1989, killing 35 people. Moody’s Analytics said it expects $15 billion to $26 billion in property damage. Climate change has exacerbated conditions that allow such storms to thrive, rapidly intensifying in warming waters and turning into powerful cyclones sometimes within hours. How did a single storm unleash destruction so far away? Dan Brown, a specialist at the National Hurricane Center near Miami, said Helene had all the attributes that make a storm widely destructive. It was large, about 350 miles wide. It was strong, with winds reaching 140 mph when it made landfall late Thursday, creating widespread storm surge. It carried heavy rains. And it was fast, speeding north at up to 24 mph offshore and 30 mph inland. Brown compared the geographic scale of Helene’s destruction to 1972’s Hurricane Agnes, 1989’s Hurricane Hugo and 2004’s Hurricane Ivan. “Systems that get very powerful, large and fast moving unfortunately do bring the potential for impact and damage well inland,” Brown said Saturday. New tropical depression in Atlantic could become strong hurricane, forecasters say A new tropical depression in the eastern Atlantic Ocean could become a “formidable hurricane” later this week, the National Hurricane Center said Sunday. The depression had sustained 35 mph winds and was located about 585 miles (945 kilometers) west-southwest of the Cape Verde Islands, the center said. It could become a hurricane by Wednesday.

PERRY, Fla. — Authorities rushed to airlift supplies and restore communications and roads in flooded Asheville, North Carolina, on Sunday, Sept. 30, as residents along the storm-battered Florida coast gathered for church services amid the wreckage of Hurricane Helene. Massive rains from the powerful Helene left people stranded, without shelter and awaiting rescue around the U.S. Southeast. Cleanup continued Sunday from a tempest that killed at least 64 people, caused widespread destruction across the southeastern states and knocked out power to several million people. As the sun rose over Florida’s Big Bend on the Sunday after Hurricane Helene battered the region, many houses of worship were still dealing with power outages, damaged roofs and hurricane debris — and the knowledge that many of their congregants are shouldering another hit from a devastating storm. More than 1,000 miles away in Texas, Jessica Drye Turner begged for someone to rescue her family members stranded on their rooftop in Asheville, North Carolina, surrounded by rising flood waters. “They are watching 18 wheelers and cars floating by,” Turner wrote in an urgent Facebook post on Friday. But in a follow-up message, which became widely circulated on social media on Saturday, Turner said help had not arrived in time to save her parents, both in their 70s, and her six-year-old nephew. The roof had collapsed and the three drowned. “I cannot convey in words the sorrow, heartbreak and devastation my sisters and I are going through nor imagine the pain before us,” she wrote. Helene blew ashore in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane late Thursday with winds of 140 mph. From there, it quickly moved through Georgia, where Gov. Brian Kemp said Saturday that it “looks like a bomb went off” after viewing splintered homes and debris-covered highways from the air. Weakened, Helene then soaked the Carolinas and Tennessee with torrential rains, sending creeks and rivers over their banks and straining dams. Western North Carolina was isolated because of landslides and flooding that forced the closure of Interstate 40 and other roads. There have been hundreds of water rescues, none more dramatic than in rural Unicoi County in East Tennessee, where dozens of patients and staff were plucked by helicopter from a hospital rooftop Friday. And the rescues continued into the following day in Buncombe County, North Carolina, where part of Asheville was under water. The storm was expected to hover over the Tennessee Valley on Saturday and Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said. It unleashed the worst flooding in a century in North Carolina. One community, Spruce Pine, was doused with over 2 feet of rain from Tuesday through Saturday. In Florida’s Big Bend, some lost nearly everything they own, emerging from the storm without even a pair of shoes. With sanctuaries still darkened in a county as of Sunday morning, 97% of customers were without power, some churches canceled regular services, while others like Faith Baptist Church in Perry opted to worship outside. Standing water and tree debris still covers the grounds of Faith Baptist Church. The church called on parishioners to come “pray for our community” in a message posted to the congregation’s Facebook page. “Still no power, or water — so bathrooms will be unavailable. We have chairs, or you can bring your own!” the post reads. In Atlanta, 11.12 inches of rain fell over 48 hours, the most the city has seen over two days since record keeping began in 1878. President Joe Biden said Saturday that Helene’s devastation has been “overwhelming” and pledged to send help. He also approved a disaster declaration for North Carolina, making federal funding available for affected individuals. With at least 25 killed in South Carolina, Helene is the deadliest tropical cyclone for the state since Hurricane Hugo killed 35 people when it came ashore just north of Charleston in 1989. Deaths also have been reported in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. Moody’s Analytics said it expects $15 billion to $26 billion in property damage. AccuWeather’s preliminary estimate of the total damage and economic loss from Helene in the U.S. is between $95 billion and $110 billion. Evacuations began before the storm hit and continued as lakes overtopped dams, including one in North Carolina that forms a lake featured in the movie “Dirty Dancing.” Helicopters were used to rescue some people from flooded homes. Among the 11 confirmed deaths in Florida were nine people who drowned in their homes in a mandatory evacuation area on the Gulf Coast in Pinellas County, Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said. None of the victims were from Taylor County, which is where the storm made landfall. It came ashore near the mouth of the Aucilla River, about 20 miles northwest of where Hurricane Idalia hit last year at nearly the same ferocity. Taylor County is in Florida’s Big Bend, which went years without taking a direct hit from a hurricane. But after Idalia and two other storms in a little over a year, the area is beginning to feel like a hurricane superhighway. “It’s bringing everybody to reality about what this is now with disasters,” said John Berg, 76, a resident of Steinhatchee, a small fishing town and weekend getaway. Climate change has exacerbated conditions that allow such storms to thrive, rapidly intensifying in warming waters and turning into powerful cyclones sometimes in a matter of hours. Helene was the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-average season this year because of record-warm ocean temperatures.

As has been the case throughout the year, the American Logistics Aid Network is mobilized for Hurricane Helene. The organization has been delivering situational reports since the storm made landfall late Thursday night. “As you are well aware, Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region late Thursday night. Since then, ALAN has heard from many people who are anxious to know, ‘What can we do?’” “We hope to have specific answers soon, because we are working closely with the non-profit community to determine what is needed,” Executive Director Kathy Fulton said. Fulton noted that requests are already being vetted, and while that process is ongoing, there are “many ways all of us can help.” Fulton published a list of “do’s and don’ts” and includes the following; DO make sure your employees are safe – and supported. DON’T forget that we’re here for you. DO let us know if you might be willing to help. DON’T assume you can’t be of help just because your operations are nowhere near the damaged areas. DO check ALAN’s website and Disaster Micro-Site often over the next few weeks. DON’T host a collection drive for products. DO consider helping in other ways instead. “On behalf of all of us at ALAN, thank you for being part of this amazing community and for helping us save lives and deliver hope through logistics. We DO appreciate you, and we DON’T ever take your contributions for granted,” Fulton said.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Days of torrential rains in North Carolina culminating with tropical downpours from what was Hurricane Helene have led to officials keeping a close eye on a major dam, the closure of two main interstates in the mountains and flooding everywhere. More than a foot of rain has fallen across much of the region in the past several days, setting the stage for an unfolding disaster as Helene moved through as a tropical storm Friday morning, Sept. 27. At least two deaths have been blamed on the storm. The powerful, fast-moving hurricane came ashore late Thursday along the Florida Panhandle and was on top of the mountains 12 hours later. Winds gusted to 108 mph atop Mount Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi River. All roads in western North Carolina should be considered closed because it is too dangerous to travel, the state Department of Transportation said. Interstate 40 was closed near Old Fort west of Asheville, and Interstate 26 was shut down south of Asheville near Hendersonville. A mudslide also sent at least one lane of I-40 into the swollen Pigeon River at the North Carolina-Tennessee state line, closing the road in both directions, transportation officials said. Crews have conducted 100 swift-water rescues as of Friday morning, Gov. Roy Cooper said, about half of them around Asheville. “The priority now is saving lives,” Cooper said, adding that no one should be on the roads unless they were seeking higher ground. Officials in Rutherford County were watching Lake Lure Dam because water overtopped it. That caused some erosion on one side of the dam, state Department of Environmental Quality spokesperson Kat Russell said. The lake, which feeds the Broad River, was created nearly 100 years ago. The dam is listed as 480 feet long and about 120 feet high. The dam is “doing what it’s supposed to do, but the water levels are just too high,” Russell said. Downstream communities have been made aware of the overtopping but have been told they would have several hours to alert residents about evacuations if needed, Russell said. North Carolina and South Carolina state agencies also have received emergency action plans should conditions worsen. The lake is famous for being the setting for some scenes in the 1987 film “Dirty Dancing.” Washed-out roads prevented first responders from making it to some calls, according to Ryan Cole, Buncombe County assistant emergency services director. That included a mudslide that involved four homes and left an undetermined number of people unaccounted for. “This is the most significant natural disaster that anyone of us has ever seen in western North Carolina,” Cole said. Downtown Boone saw flooding in areas where officials couldn’t recall flooding before. Appalachian State University canceled its Saturday football game with Liberty, blaming the severe impacts of the weather around the region. At least two people were killed. A tree fell on a home in Charlotte, and bad weather led to a vehicle wreck in Catawba County, authorities said. In Nash County, four people were critically injured Friday afternoon when a tornado in one of Helene’s outer bands damaged more than a dozen buildings in Rocky Mount, authorities said. Forecasters were comparing it to the benchmark flood of 1916, which killed 80 people, damaged dozens of miles of railroad tracks and isolated Asheville and other mountain cities for days. Several rivers were above or near record crests, and floodwaters were not expected to recede until at least Monday. In Biltmore Village, just outside the famous Biltmore mansion, swiftly moving water from the overflowing Swannanoa River reached above the hoods of vehicles. It was a scene emergency officials expected in many other places, as all the rain has to flow downhill to the sea. “It’s terrible. I don’t know if I will ever see anything like this again,” said Spencer Tate Andrews, who came down to the area to witness the flooding. “Glad I got to see it, but at the same time, it’s terrible and it’s going to affect a lot of people and businesses.” By Erik Verduzco, The Associated Press. Associated Press writers Gary D. Robertson in Raleigh and Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.

CRAWFORDVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Emergency crews rushed Friday, Sept. 27, to rescue people trapped in flooded homes after Helene roared ashore as a powerful Category 4 hurricane in Florida, generating a massive storm surge and knocking out power to millions of customers in several states. At least 21 people were reported dead in four states. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said dozens of people were still trapped in buildings damaged by Helene. Authorities were “having a hard time getting to places” so teams with chainsaws were “working to free up roads,” Kemp told a news conference. The storm made landfall late Thursday in a sparsely populated region with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (225 kph) in the rural Big Bend area, home to fishing villages and vacation hideaways where Florida’s Panhandle and peninsula meet. But the damage extended hundreds of miles to the north, with flooding as far away as North Carolina, where a lake used in scenes from the movie “Dirty Dancing” overtopped a dam. Multiple hospitals in southern Georgia were without power, and one in Tennessee was closed. “Thank God we’re both alive to tell about it,” Rhonda Bell said after a towering oak tree outside her home in Valdosta, Georgia, smashed through the roof. Video on social media sites showed sheets of rain coming down and siding coming off buildings in Perry, Florida, near where the storm arrived. One local news station showed a home that was overturned, and many communities established curfews. “It’s really heartbreaking,” said Stephen Tucker, after the hurricane peeled off the brand-new roof at her church in Perry, Florida. It had to be replaced after last year’s Hurricane Idalia.  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the damage from Helene in the area appears to be greater than the combined damage of Idalia and Hurricane Debby in August. “It’s demoralizing,” he said. President Joe Biden said he was praying for survivors as the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency headed to the area. The agency has deployed more than 1,500 workers, and they helped with 400 rescues by late morning. Many of the stranded in places like Tampa could be reached only by boat, with officials elsewhere warning that the water could contain live wires, sewage, sharp objects and other debris. More than 4 million homes and businesses were without power Friday morning in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks utility reports. Kemp said at least 11 people in his state were killed. At least six others died in South Carolina, two in in Florida and two in North Carolina. Among the dead was one person killed in Florida when a sign fell on their car. Two others were reported killed in a possible tornado in southern Georgia as the storm approached. The hurricane came ashore near the mouth of the Aucilla River on Florida’s Gulf Coast. That location was only about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of where Idalia hit last year at nearly the same ferocity and caused widespread damage. Cities as far inland as Atlanta were drenched, with just mailboxes and car roofs poking out of the water in some neighborhoods. Kemp mobilized an additional 1,000 National Guard troops, on top of the 500 he mobilized earlier. As the hurricane’s eye passed near Valdosta, a city of 55,000 near the Florida line, dozens of people huddled early Friday in a darkened hotel lobby. While the wind howled outside, water dripped from light fixtures in the lobby dining area. Fermin Herrera, 20, his wife and their 2-month-old daughter left their room on the top floor of the hotel, where they took shelter because they were concerned about trees falling on their Valdosta home. “We heard some rumbling,” said Herrera, cradling the sleeping baby in a downstairs hallway. Helene is the third storm to strike the city in just over a year. Tropical Storm Debby blacked out power to thousands in August, while Hurricane Idalia damaged an estimated 1,000 homes in Valdosta and surrounding Lowndes County a year ago. Now some downtown storefront windows were shattered and store awnings mangled. Soon after it crossed over land, Helene weakened to a tropical storm, with its maximum sustained winds falling to 70 mph (110 kph). At 11 a.m. Friday, the storm was about 105 miles (165 kilometers) northeast of Atlanta, moving north at 32 mph (52 kph) with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph), the National Hurricane Center in Miami reported. Forecasters expected the system to continue weakening as it moves into Tennessee and Kentucky and drops heavy rain over the Appalachian Mountains, with the risk of mudslides and flash flooding. Even before landfall, the storm’s wrath was felt widely, with sustained tropical storm-force winds and hurricane-force gusts along Florida’s west coast. Officials begged residents to evacuate. “Please write your name, birthday, and important information on your arm or leg in a PERMANENT MARKER so that you can be identified and family notified,” the sheriff’s office in mostly rural Taylor County, Florida, warned those who chose not to evacuate in a Facebook post. The dire advice was similar to what other officials have dolled out during past hurricanes.

CRAWFORDVILLE, Fla. — Hurricane Helene strengthened into a Category 4 storm ahead of its expected landfall on Florida’s northwest coast Thursday night, Sept. 26, as forecasters warned that the enormous system could create a “nightmare” storm surge and bring dangerous winds and rain across much of the southeastern U.S. Helene prompted hurricane and flash flood warnings extending far beyond the coast up into northern Georgia and western North Carolina. Strong winds already cut power to more than 450,000 homes and businesses in Florida, according to the tracking site poweroutage.us. The governors of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, the Carolinas and Virginia all declared emergencies in their states. The hurricane was about 115 miles south of Tallahassee, Florida, and had sustained winds of 130 mph, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. Accelerating through the Gulf of Mexico, it was moving north-northeast at 23 mph, and life-threatening storm surges of up to 20 feet were expected in the Big Bend area of Florida. Helene arrives barely a year since Hurricane Idalia slammed into Florida’s Big Bend and caused widespread damage. Idalia became a Category 4 in the Gulf of Mexico but made landfall as a Category 3 near Keaton Beach, with maximum sustained winds near 125 mph. The storm’s wrath was felt widely, with sustained tropical storm-force winds and hurricane-force gusts along Florida’s west coast. Water lapped over a road in Siesta Key near Sarasota and covered some intersections in St. Pete Beach. Lumber and other debris from a fire in Cedar Key a week ago crashed ashore in the rising water. Beyond Florida, up to 10 inches of rain had fallen in the North Carolina mountains, with up to 14 inches more possible before the deluge ends, setting the stage for flooding that forecasters warned could be worse than anything seen in the past century. Heavy rains began falling and winds were picking up in Valdosta, Georgia, near the Florida state line. The National Weather Service said more than a dozen Georgia counties could see hurricane-force winds exceeding 110 mph. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that models suggest Helene will make landfall further east than earlier forecast, lessening the chances for a direct hit on the capital city of Tallahassee, whose metro area has a population of around 395,000. The shift has the storm aimed squarely at the sparsely populated Big Bend area, home to fishing villages and vacation hideaways where Florida’s Panhandle and peninsula meet. “Please write your name, birthday, and important information on your arm or leg in a PERMANENT MARKER so that you can be identified and family notified,” the sheriff’s office in mostly rural Taylor County warned those who chose not to evacuate in a Facebook post, the dire advice similar to what other officials have doled out during past hurricanes. Still, Philip Tooke, a commercial fisherman who took over the business his father founded near the region’s Apalachee Bay, planned to ride out this storm like he did during Hurricane Michael and the others — on his boat. “If I lose that, I don’t have anything,” Tooke said. Michael, a Category 5 storm, all but destroyed one town, fractured thousands of homes and businesses and caused some $25 billion in damage when it struck the Florida Panhandle in 2018. Many, though, were heeding the mandatory evacuation orders that stretched from the Panhandle south along the Gulf Coast in low-lying areas around Tallahassee, Gainesville, Cedar Key, Lake City, Tampa and Sarasota. Among them was Sharonda Davis, one of several gathered at a Tallahassee shelter worried their mobile homes wouldn’t withstand the winds. She said the hurricane’s size is “scarier than anything because it’s the aftermath that we’re going to have to face.” Federal authorities were staging search-and-rescue teams as the National Weather Service office in Tallahassee forecast storm surges of up to 20 feet and warned they could be particularly “catastrophic and unsurvivable” in Apalachee Bay. “Please, please, please take any evacuation orders seriously!” the office said, describing the surge scenario as “a nightmare.” This stretch of Florida known as the Forgotten Coast has been largely spared by the widespread condo development and commercialization that dominates so many of Florida’s beach communities. The region is loved for its natural wonders — the vast stretches of salt marshes, tidal pools and barrier islands. “You live down here, you run the risk of losing everything to a bad storm,” said Anthony Godwin, 20, who lives about a half mile from the water in the coastal town of Panacea, as he stopped for gas before heading west toward his sister’s house in Pensacola. School districts and multiple universities canceled classes. Airports in Tampa, Tallahassee and Clearwater were closed Thursday, while cancellations were widespread elsewhere in Florida and beyond. While Helene will likely weaken as it moves inland, damaging winds and heavy rain were expected to extend to the southern Appalachian Mountains, where landslides were possible, forecasters said. The hurricane center warned that much of the region could experience prolonged power outages and flooding. Tennessee was among the states expected to get drenched. Helene had swamped parts of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Wednesday, flooding streets and toppling trees as it passed offshore and brushed the resort city of Cancun. In western Cuba, Helene knocked out power to more than 200,000 homes and businesses as it brushed past the island. Areas 100 miles north of the Georgia-Florida line expected hurricane conditions. The state opened its parks to evacuees and their pets, including horses. Overnight curfews were imposed in many cities and counties in South Georgia. “This is one of the biggest storms we’ve ever had,” said Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. For Atlanta, Helene could be the worst strike on a major Southern inland city in 35 years, said University of Georgia meteorology professor Marshall Shepherd. Helene is the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-average Atlantic hurricane season this year because of record-warm ocean temperatures. In further storm activity, Tropical Storm Isaac formed Wednesday in the Atlantic and was expected to strengthen as it moves eastward across the open ocean, possibly becoming a hurricane by the end of the week, forecasters said. Officials said its swells and winds could affect parts of Bermuda and eventually the Azores by the weekend. In the Pacific, former Hurricane John reformed Wednesday as a tropical storm and strengthened Thursday back into a hurricane as it threatened areas of Mexico’s western coast with flash flooding and mudslides. Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador raised John’s death toll to five as communities along the country’s Pacific coast prepared for the storm to make a second landfall.

Updated Sept. 26, 2024, at 1 p.m. Pacific time CRAWFORDVILLE, Fla. — Tropical storm force winds began battering Florida on Thursday, Sept. 26, as Hurricane Helene prepared to make landfall, with forecasters warning that the enormous storm could create a “nightmare” surge along the coast and churn up damaging winds hundreds of miles inland across much of the southeastern U.S. Helene was upgraded to a major Category 3 storm Thursday afternoon ahead of its expected evening landfall on Florida’s northwestern coast. Hurricane and flash flood warnings extend far beyond the coast up into south-central Georgia. It was starting to be felt Thursday afternoon, with water lapping over a road on the northern tip of Siesta Key near Sarasota and covering some intersections in St. Pete Beach along Florida’s Gulf Coast. The winds have left around 100,000 homes and businesses without power already in the state. And rain has started battering places like Asheville, North Carolina, where a 7-inch deluge has raised flooding concerns. With forecasters also warning of tornadoes and mudslides, the governors of Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia have all declared emergencies, as did President Joe Biden for several of the states. He is sending the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to Florida on Friday to view the damage. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday morning that models suggest Helene will make landfall further east, lessening the chances for a direct hit on the capital city of Tallahassee, whose metro area has a population of around 395,000. The shift has the storm aimed squarely at the sparsely-populated Big Bend area, home to fishing villages and vacation hideaways where Florida’s Panhandle and peninsula meet. Shuttered gas stations dotted the two-lane highway, their windows boarded up with plywood. Philip Tooke, a commercial fisherman who took over the business his father founded near the region’s Apalachee Bay, plans to ride out this storm like he did during Hurricane Michael and the others — on his boat. “This is what pays my bills,” Tooke said of his boats. “If I lose that, I don’t have anything.” Many, though, were heeding the mandatory evacuation orders that stretched from the Panhandle south along the Gulf Coast in low-lying areas around Tallahassee, Gainesville, Cedar Key, Lake City, Tampa and Sarasota. Among them was Sharonda Davis, one of several gathered at a Tallahassee shelter worried their mobile homes wouldn’t withstand the winds. She said the hurricane’s size is “scarier than anything because it’s the aftermath that we’re going to have to face.” Federal authorities were staging search-and-rescue teams as the National Weather Service office in Tallahassee forecast storm surges of up to 20 feet and warned they could be particularly “catastrophic and unsurvivable” in Apalachee Bay. It added that high winds and heavy rains also posed risks. “Please, please, please take any evacuation orders seriously!” the office said, describing the surge scenario as “a nightmare.” This stretch of Florida known as the Forgotten Coast has been largely spared by the widespread condo development and commercialization that dominates so many of Florida’s beach communities. The region is loved for its natural wonders — the vast stretches of salt marshes, tidal pools and barrier islands; the dwarf cypress trees of Tate’s Hell State Forest; and Wakulla Springs, considered one of the world’s largest and deepest freshwater springs. Anthony Godwin, 20, found one gas station outside Crawfordville where the tanks were still running Thursday morning to fill up before heading west toward his sister’s house in Pensacola. “It’s a part of life. You live down here, you run the risk of losing everything to a bad storm,” said Godwin, who lives about a half-mile from the water in the coastal town of Panacea. Along Florida’s Gulf Coast, school districts and multiple universities have canceled classes. Airports in Tampa, Tallahassee and Clearwater were closed Thursday, while cancellations were widespread elsewhere in the state and beyond. Helene was about 195 miles southwest of Tampa on Thursday afternoon and moving north-northeast at 16 mph with top sustained winds of at least 111 mph. While Helene will likely weaken as it moves inland, damaging winds were expected to extend to the southern Appalachian Mountains, where landslides were possible, forecasters said. The center posted lesser tropical storm warnings as far north as North Carolina, and warned that much of the region could experience prolonged power outages and flooding. Tennessee was among the states expected to get drenched. Helene had swamped parts of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Wednesday, flooding streets and toppling trees as it passed offshore and brushed the resort city of Cancun. The storm formed Tuesday in the Caribbean Sea. In western Cuba, Helene knocked out power to more than 200,000 homes and businesses as it brushed past the island. Helene is forecast to be one of the largest storms in breadth in years to hit the region, said Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach. He said since 1988, only three Gulf hurricanes were bigger than Helene’s predicted size: 2017’s Irma, 2005’s Wilma and 1995’s Opal. Areas 100 miles north of the Georgia-Florida line can expect hurricane conditions. More than half of Georgia’s public school districts and several universities canceled classes. The state has opened its parks to evacuees, and their pets, including horses For Atlanta, Helene could be the worst strike on a major Southern inland city in 35 years, said University of Georgia meteorology professor Marshall Shepherd. More than 200 miles to the south, some businesses in the inland city of Valdosta, Georgia, closed because of the hurricane warning, including the local Walmart. “We know the Lord’s in control,” said 67-year-old Margaret Freenman, when she found pallets stacked high blocking the store’s entrances after showing up to buy snacks with her two grandchildren. “He’s got the last say.” Helene is the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-average Atlantic hurricane season this year because of record-warm ocean temperatures. In further storm activity, Tropical Storm Isaac formed Wednesday in the Atlantic and was expected to strengthen as it moves eastward across the open ocean, possibly becoming a hurricane by the end of the week, forecasters said. Officials said its swells and winds could affect parts of Bermuda and eventually the Azores by the weekend. In the Pacific, former Hurricane John reformed Wednesday as a tropical storm and strengthened Thursday morning back into a hurricane as it threatened areas of Mexico’s western coast with flash flooding and mudslides. Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador raised John’s death toll to five Thursday as the communities along the country’s Pacific coast prepared for the storm to make a second landfall.   Original story posted Sept. 26, 2024, at 7:44 a.m. Pacific time TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Fast-moving Hurricane Helene was advancing Thursday, Sept. 26, across the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida, threatening an “unsurvivable” storm surge in northwestern parts of the state as well as damaging winds, rains and flash floods hundreds of miles inland across much of the southeastern U.S., forecasters said. Helene was upgraded Thursday morning to a Category 2 storm and is expected to be a major hurricane — meaning a Category 3 or higher — when it makes landfall on Florida’s northwestern coast Thursday evening. As of early Thursday, hurricane warnings and flash flood warnings extended far beyond the coast up into south-central Georgia. The governors of Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia have all declared emergencies in their states. Rain was beginning to blow in the predawn darkness Thursday along coastal U.S. Highway 98, which winds through countless fishing villages and vacation hideaways along Florida’s Big Bend. Shuttered gas stations dotted the two-lane highway, their windows boarded up with plywood to protect from the storm. The road was largely empty at first light on Thursday, with what drivers there were mostly heading northeast, towards higher ground. The storm was expected to make landfall in the Big Bend region, where Florida’s panhandle and peninsula meet, according to Jack Beven, senior hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami. “Regardless of how strong it is, it is a very large storm, Beven said. “It’s going to have impacts that cover a large area.” The National Weather Service office in Tallahassee forecast storm surges of up to 20 feet and warned they could be particularly “catastrophic and unsurvivable” in Florida’s Apalachee Bay. It added that high winds and heavy rains also posed risks. “This forecast, if realized, is a nightmare surge scenario for Apalachee Bay,” the office said. “Please, please, please take any evacuation orders seriously!” This stretch of Florida known as the Forgotten Coast has been largely spared by the widespread condo development and commercialization that dominates so many of Florida’s beach communities. The sparsely populated region is loved for its natural wonders — the vast stretches of salt marshes, tidal pools and barrier islands; the dwarf cypress trees of Tate’s Hell State Forest; and Wakulla Springs, considered one of the world’s largest and deepest freshwater springs. In Crawfordville, farther inland and about 25 miles northwest of Apalachee Bay, Christine Nazworth stocked up on bottled water, baked goods and premade meals at a Walmart. She said her family would be sheltering in place, despite Wakulla County issuing a mandatory evacuation order. “I’m prayed up,” she said. “Lord have mercy on us. And everybody else that might be in its path.” Along Florida’s Gulf Coast, school districts and multiple universities have cancelled classes. Helene was about 320 miles southwest of Tampa on Thursday morning and moving north-northeast at 12 mph with top sustained winds of 100 mph. Forecasters said it should become a Category 3 or higher hurricane, meaning winds would top 110 mph. While Helene will likely weaken as it moves inland, its “fast forward speed will allow strong, damaging winds, especially in gusts, to penetrate well inland across the southeastern United States,” including in the southern Appalachian Mountains, the hurricane center said. The center posted lesser tropical storm warnings as far north as North Carolina and warned that much of the region could experience prolonged power outages, toppled trees and dangerous flooding. Helene had swamped parts of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Wednesday, flooding streets and toppling trees as it passed offshore and brushed the resort city of Cancun. The storm formed Tuesday in the Caribbean Sea. In Cuba, the government preventively shut off power in some communities as waves as high as 16 feet slammed Cortes Bay. And in the Cayman Islands, schools closed and residents pumped water from flooded homes. Helene is forecast to be one of the largest storms in breadth in years to hit the region, said Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach. He said since 1988, only three Gulf hurricanes were bigger than Helene’s predicted size: 2017’s Irma, 2005’s Wilma and 1995’s Opal. Areas 100 miles north of the Georgia-Florida line can expect hurricane conditions. More than half of Georgia’s public school districts and several universities canceled classes. For Atlanta, Helene could be the worst strike on a major Southern inland city in 35 years, said University of Georgia meteorology professor Marshall Shepherd. Landslides were possible in southern Appalachia, and rainfall was expected as far away as Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana. Federal authorities have positioned generators, food and water, along with search-and-rescue and power restoration teams. Helene is the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-average Atlantic hurricane season this year because of record-warm ocean temperatures. In further storm activity, Tropical Storm Isaac formed Wednesday in the Atlantic and was expected to strengthen as it moves eastward across the open ocean, possibly becoming a hurricane by the end of the week, forecasters said. Isaac was about 690 miles northeast of Bermuda with top sustained winds of 50 mph, according to the hurricane center, which said its swells and winds could affect parts of Bermuda and eventually the Azores by the weekend. In the Pacific, former Hurricane John reformed Wednesday as a tropical storm and strengthened Thursday morning back into a hurricane as it threatened areas of Mexico’s western coast with flash flooding and mudslides. Officials posted hurricane warnings for southwestern Mexico. John hit the country’s southern Pacific coast late Monday, killing at least two people, triggering mudslides, and damaging homes and trees. It grew into a Category 3 hurricane in a matter of hours and made landfall east of Acapulco. It reemerged over the ocean after weakening inland.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Helene became a hurricane Wednesday after the huge storm rapidly strengthened in the Caribbean Sea and moved north along Mexico’s coast on a path toward the U.S., leading residents to evacuate, schools to close, and officials to declare emergencies in Florida and Georgia. The storm’s center was near Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Wednesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said, and it was expected to intensify and grow in size as it crosses the Gulf of Mexico. Heavy rainfall was forecast for the southeastern U.S. starting Wednesday, with a life-threatening storm surge along the entire west coast of Florida, according to the center. The storm is so large that areas roughly 90 miles (145 kilometers) north of the Georgia-Florida line could expect hurricane conditions. States as far inland as Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana could see rainfall. On Wednesday morning, winds of tropical storm force, at least 39 mph (62 kph), extended as far as 275 miles (445 kilometers) from Helene’s center. “You are going to have a major hurricane plowing inland, and storms take a little time to decay once they’re inland,” said Brian McNoldy, an environmental researcher at the University of Miami. Helene is expected to become a major hurricane — a Category 3 or higher, with winds above 110 mph (177 kph) — on Thursday, the day it’s set to reach Florida’s Gulf Coast, according to the hurricane center. The center issued hurricane warnings for part of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and Florida’s northwestern coastline, where large storm surges of up to 15 feet (4.5 meters) were expected. As residents of Florida’s Big Bend — the curving stretch of Gulf coastline in the state’s north — battened down their homes, many saw the ghost of 2018’s Hurricane Michael. That storm rapidly intensified and crashed ashore as a Category 5 that laid waste to Panama City and parts of the rural Panhandle. “People are taking heed and hightailing it out of there for higher ground,” said Kristin Korinko, a Tallahassee resident who serves as the commodore of the Shell Point Sailboard Club, on the Gulf Coast about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of the state capital. In Tallahassee, where stations had started to run out of gas, 19-year-old at Florida A&M student Kameron Benjamin filled sandbags with his roommate to protect their apartment before evacuating. Their school and Florida State shut down ahead of the storm. “This hurricane is heading straight to Tallahassee, so I really don’t know what to expect,” Benjamin said. In the Pacific, former Hurricane John re-formed as a tropical storm Wednesday and threatened areas of Mexico’s western coast anew. John had hit the country’s southern Pacific coast late Monday, killing two people, blowing tin roofs off houses, triggering mudslides and toppling scores of trees, officials said Tuesday. It grew into a Category 3 hurricane in a matter of hours and made landfall about 80 miles (128 kilometers) east of the resort city of Acapulco. It weakened after moving inland but later reemerged over the ocean. On Wednesday, officials issued a hurricane watch for the coast from Acapulco to Zihuatanejo and tropical storm warnings from Punta Maldonado to Lazaro Cardenas. John was about 110 miles (180 kilometers) southwest of Acapulco with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph) and was moving east at 2 mph (4 kph). Helene, which formed Tuesday in the Caribbean, is expected to move over deep, warm waters, fueling its intensification. The hurricane was about 500 miles (810 kilometers) southwest of Tampa, Florida, and had top sustained winds of 80 mph (130 kph), according to the hurricane center. Forecasters said it is expected to become a major hurricane with its center making landfall in the Big Bend area of Florida’s northwestern coast as soon as late Thursday. Mara Lezama, the governor of the coastal Mexican state of Quintana Roo, shared photos of rain-swept streets. In Cancun, heavy waves threatened to worsen the resort city’s problem with beach erosion. In western Cuba, authorities moved cattle to higher ground and medical brigades were dispatched to communities usually cut off by storms. The government preventively shut off power in some communities as waves as high as 16 feet (5 meters) slammed into Cortes Bay. The Cayman Islands began recovering after heavy rains and big waves lashed them Tuesday. Schools remained closed Wednesday as flood warnings continued and residents pumped water out of their flooded homes. Tropical storm warnings were in effect for the upper Florida Keys, southern Florida and the state’s northeast coast and were extended northward Wednesday morning to Altamaha Sound, Georgia. A tropical storm watch was in effect for the South Carolina coast north of the South Santee River to Little River Inlet. Hurricane watches, a step down from warnings, were also in effect for parts of western Cuba and Florida, including the Tampa Bay area, the hurricane center said. President Joe Biden declared an emergency in Florida, and federal authorities positioned generators, food and water, along with search-and-rescue and power restoration teams. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who already issued an emergency for most counties, warned residents Wednesday they needed to heed evacuation orders. A dozen health care facilities including hospitals and nursing homes had evacuated preemptively, DeSantis said. “There’s clearly a pathway for this to rapidly intensify prior to making landfall,” DeSantis said at a news conference in Tampa. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp also declared an emergency in his state. The hurricane warning area included Valdosta, a city of 55,000. Helene approached barely a year after Hurricane Idalia inflicted more than $6 million in damage to 1,000 homes and other property. Helene is the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1. Since 2000, eight major hurricanes have made landfall in Florida, according to Philip Klotzbach, a Colorado State University hurricane researcher. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-average Atlantic hurricane season this year because of record-warm ocean temperatures.

Two major weather systems are bringing heavy rain, high winds and more to Mexico’s southern Pacific coast on one side and the Caribbean on the other. Tropical Storm John struck Mexico late Monday with life-threatening flood potential after growing into a Category 3 hurricane in a matter of hours. It came ashore near the town of Punta Maldonado before weakening back to tropical storm status early Tuesday and was expected to weaken rapidly. Still, the U.S. National Hurricane Center warned that the storm’s slow pace and heavy rains could cause potentially catastrophic flash flooding and mudslides. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Helene formed in the Caribbean Sea on Tuesday after bringing heavy rains and big waves to the Cayman Islands. Forecasters warned the storm is expected to strengthen into a major hurricane en route to the southeast U.S. Hurricane watches were in effect for Florida’s Tampa Bay and from Englewood to Indian Pass, as well as for eastern Mexico from Cabo Catoche to Tulum and for Cuba’s Pinar del Rio province.