A state of emergency has been declared in Florida where evacuations are underway along the Gulf Coast as Tropical Storm Helene strengthens. Residents in the storm's potential path have been told to prepare for up to a week without electricity.
"Now is the time to make an emergency plan," Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a press conference on Tuesday.
The storm, which is still taking shape, could become the strongest hurricane to hit the United States this season. It could also go down in history as one of the fastest-developing storms on record. The Weather Channel reports Helene is likely to be a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico by Wednesday.
President Joe Biden has been briefed on the storm. White House spokesperson Jeremy Edwards said in a statement Tuesday afternoon that, "Federal resources and personnel are prepositioned, including generators, food, and water, along with search and rescue and power restoration teams."
"At the direction of the President, FEMA has also deployed teams to Florida and Alabama to embed with local emergency response personnel to support their efforts, as needed," Edwards added. "We urge residents in the path of the storm to stay vigilant."
Forecast to rapidly intensify and come ashore as a Category 3 storm with sustained winds exceeding 111 miles per hour, Helene poses a significant threat to Florida residents.
"Damaging hurricane-force winds are expected along portions of the coast of the Florida Big Bend, where a Hurricane Warning is now in effect," the National Hurricane Center said in its 5 p.m. ET bulletin on Tuesday. "Preparations to protect life and property should be complete by early Thursday."
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis expanded a state of emergency on Tuesday to 61 counties ahead of the storm. Helene is expected to make landfall near the Big Bend region of the Florida panhandle but could shift course over the coming days.
In addition to high winds, the storm will threaten millions of residents along the Gulf Coast with up to 12 inches of rainfall, as well as the possibility of tornadoes. Before it heads up into the Gulf of Mexico, Helene will bring heavy rain to portions of the western Caribbean, potentially mudslides and flooding across western Cuba. The system will also pose the threat of inland flooding across several U.S. states.
"Considerable flash and urban flooding is expected across portions of Florida, the Southeast, southern Appalachians, and the Tennessee Valley Wednesday through Friday," the National Hurricane Center said.
What is the storm’s path?
According to the National Hurricane Center's latest advisory, the center of Helene is expected to reach the Gulf Coast of Florida by late Thursday. The maximum sustained winds are near 45 mph.
"The Tampa Bay region is extremely vulnerable to storm surge. If this storm tracks any farther west, we could end up dealing with a serious storm surge and flooding problems in Tampa," AccuWeather lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva predicted.
But meteorologists warned residents from Louisiana to Key West, Fla., to prepare for the storm.
The National Hurricane Center issued hurricane watches and tropical storm warnings on Monday for parts of Mexico and Cuba as the storm intensifies over the record-warm Gulf of Mexico.
The storm is expected to weaken by Friday as it moves inland across the Southeast. However, heavy rainfall and wind gusts will linger along its path.
How is Florida preparing?
Florida, which was pummeled by Hurricane Debby earlier this season, is bracing for another storm this week. In Leon County, home to Tallahassee, 15 sandbags will be available for each household to take home to prepare against heavy rain and flooding.
The declaration allows the state to execute its Comprehensive Emergency Management plan, allowing the use of resources for any logistical, rescue or evacuation operations.
"Now is the time to make an emergency plan, know your evacuation zone, and be as prepared as possible for the storm," DeSantis said in a post on X.
Watches and warnings
As of 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday, a hurricane watch was in effect for:
Cabo Catoche to Tulum, Mexico
Pinar del Río Province, Cuba
Englewood to Indian Pass
Tampa Bay
A "hurricane watch" means hurricane conditions are possible within the watch areas and are usually issued 48 hours before the hurricane is anticipated to hit.
A storm surge watch is in effect for:
Indian Pass, southward to Flamingo
Tampa Bay
Charlotte Harbor
A "storm surge watch" indicates the possibility of life-threatening flooding, such as rising water moving inland from the coast.
A tropical storm warning was in effect for:
Dry Tortugas
Lower Florida Keys, west of the Seven Mile Bridge
Grand Cayman
Rio Lagartos to Tulum, Mexico
Cuban provinces of Artemisa, Pinar del Rio, and the Isle of Youth
A "tropical storm warning" is the expectation that tropical storm conditions, such as wind speeds of 39 to 73 mph, will hit the warning areas within the next 36 hours.
A tropical storm watch was in effect for:
Middle Florida Keys, from the Seven Mile Bridge to the Channel 5 Bridge
Flamingo to the south of Englewood
West of Indian Pass to the Walton Bay County line