TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that “time is running out” for Gulf Coast residents, particularly in North Florida’s Big Bend region, to finalize preparations as powerful Hurricane Helene is poised to slam into the state Thursday.
Models indicate Helene will make landfall Thursday night as a major hurricane in the Big Bend region, which continues to recover from Hurricane Debby in early August and Hurricane Idalia in August 2023. Models also indicate storm-force winds could stretch up to 200 miles from the center.
A hurricane warning was in effect from the Anclote River in the Pasco County area to Mexico Beach in Bay County.
Expected to rapidly intensify in the warm waters of the eastern Gulf of Mexico, Helene is projected to create storm surge throughout Florida’s Gulf Coast. A storm-surge warning was in effect from Flamingo in Monroe County to Indian Pass in Gulf County.
“It is anticipated that there is going to be power outages,” DeSantis said Wednesday during an appearance at TECO Energy East Hillsborough in Tampa. “So folks have an opportunity to plan for that now. You still have time to make the preparations and put your plan in place today. But that time is running out.”
President Joe Biden on Tuesday approved an emergency declaration that authorizes federal money to help state and local efforts. It also gave authority to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief. Earlier, DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 61 of Florida’s 67 counties.
About 18,000 utility workers are in position to help with restoring power, and DeSantis said that number will increase.
The Florida Municipal Electric Association said Wednesday its restoration workforce of 1,200 is being bolstered by more than 350 workers from nine states. Power outages, for example, could be a major issue in Tallahassee, which is served by a municipal utility.
Duke Energy Florida said it was readying 8,000 workers to respond to the storm. Also, crew members were coming from Duke Energy’s operations in Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana.
The Florida Department of Transportation lifted weight restrictions for utility and emergency response vehicles.
As of Wednesday morning, state Division of Emergency Management Kevin Guthrie said Helene’s outer bands were already being felt across South Florida.
“Please do not focus on the forecast cone,” Guthrie said. “The hazards from this large storm, over 250 miles from the center, will be far, far reaching.”
Wednesday morning, Helene was off the northeastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, packing maximum sustained winds of 80 mph and moving north-northwest at 10 mph.
The meteorological company AccuWeather warned Helene will create “life-threatening impacts” hundreds of miles away from where it makes landfall.
“The combination of deep warm water (ocean heat content) and low disruptive breezes (wind shear), should assist in rapid strengthening when Helene moves over the Gulf of Mexico from Wednesday to Thursday,” AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said in a statement.
AccuWeather expects Helene to make landfall late Thursday in the eastern part of the Panhandle as a Category 3 hurricane, which indicates sustained winds of 111 mph to 129 mph on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
The storm could tip into Category 4 status, which would be 130 mph to 156 mph, while over the Gulf of Mexico, according to AccuWeather.
The National Weather Service said the storm has the potential to bring storm surge topping 15 feet near where the eye comes ashore and east of that area.
The risk of tornados is expected to begin Wednesday night.
The Port of Key West was closed Wednesday morning, while vessel movement was stopped at the Port of St. Petersburg, Port Manatee and Port Tampa Bay.
A hurricane watch was in place from Englewood, at the Charlotte and Sarasota county line, the Anclote River.
A tropical storm warning was in place for the Dry Tortugas, the Florida Keys, the west coast from Flamingo to Anclote River, the Panhandle coast from Mexico Beach to the border of Bay and Walton counties and on Florida’s East Coast.