‘You cannot survive that’: Florida official warns of danger from approaching hurricane

Image via Fresh Take Fla.

Hurricane Helene lumbered Thursday toward Florida’s Gulf Coast as a massive, powerful storm expected to drown some rural, coastal communities in northern areas with a towering storm surge of up to 20 feet, plus torrential rains and destructive winds.

The Tin City retail district of Naples in Southwest Florida flooded early Thursday as Helene moved north along the Gulf coast, still hundreds of miles off shore, driving seawater into Naples Bay until it surged over seawalls into streets and back yards. The Big Marco River crested over its banks.

Crashing ocean waves driven by powerful winds in Key West broke over the seawall and sprayed the famous tourist plaza that marks the southernmost point in the United States. A few plucky people tried to pose for photos near the brightly painted buoy as they were drenched in salt water.

By midday Thursday, Helene had strengthened to a Category 2 hurricane with 105 mph winds, as it churned through warm Gulf waters that continued to fuel the storm. Gov. Ron DeSantis said it could make landfall as a Category 3 or 4 hurricane. His emergency management chief, Kevin Guthrie, called the storm surge expected in the Big Bend region life-threatening: “You cannot survive that.”

The hurricane’s precise path was still uncertain but appeared headed for Florida’s rural Big Bend area. It would be the third hurricane to strike communities there in just 13 months, following Idalia and Debby. The area between the Panhandle and the state’s peninsula is among Florida’s least densely populated, home to scores of small towns along the coast.

The historic fishing town of Cedar Key, which also suffered a fire that destroyed popular seafood restaurants along Dock Street last week, closed ahead of expected major flooding from Helene. Rebecca Johnston, 47, lived there until last year, and owns a property that recent storms have left untouched.

“It’s closed today, but it will be up and running very quickly,” she said. “They fix it themselves, they work together as a community and they put themselves back together.”

Further inland, Tallahassee braced for significant damage. Florida State University canceled classes and closed its campus until Monday. Eglin Air Force Base in the Panhandle moved cargo planes and fighter jets inside hangars to protect them from winds.

At least 20 counties issued partial or total mandatory evacuations, urging thousands to leave their houses or trailers and seek higher ground inland. More than 832,000 people live in the Big Bend and nearby counties where Helene was expected to hit hardest as a major hurricane. Three Big Bend counties — Franklin, Taylor and Wakulla — ordered all residents to leave. Other counties urged anyone to flee low-lying areas, trailers, RVs, nursing homes or older houses.

Over 1,300 residents hunkered down in six open shelters across Pinellas County as the storm surge began to flood roads midday Thursday. With up to 8 feet of expected flooding, Pinellas County issued a mandatory evacuation for coastal zones as well as everyone in mobile homes.

Forecasters issued more than a dozen hurricane warnings along Florida’s Gulf Coast overnight and early Thursday.

DeSantis warned residents that time was running out to evacuate.

“Every minute that goes by brings us closer to having conditions that are simply too dangerous to navigate,” he said at a briefing in Tallahassee on Thursday morning.

With no mass transit and limited transportation infrastructure, Florida provided buses for anyone who needed to evacuate the Big Bend to storm shelters in nearby communities. Rideshare service Uber also partnered with the state, providing free rides to shelters for anyone who uses the code HELENERELIEF. DeSantis said relocating just 50 miles away could save lives.

Collier County in southwest Florida, which did not issue a mandatory evacuation, saw roads flood from storm surge early Thursday. Roads flooded near St. Petersburg in Pinellas County, which issued a partial evacuation earlier in the week.

DeSantis and Guthrie, Director of the Division of Emergency Management, warned those staying home for Helene not to drive during the storm and said they should keep generators outside and head to an interior room if they hear trees around them breaking.

“If you hear trees snapping around your home, treat it like a tornado,” Guthrie said. “Act immediately.”

Airports, including Tampa International, St. Pete-Clearwater International and Tallahassee International Airport closed. Gainesville Regional Airport said it would shut down by 7 p.m., just ahead of the storm’s landfall.

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This story was produced by Fresh Take Florida, a news service of the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. The reporters can be reached at [email protected] and [email protected]. You can donate to support our students here.