Residents who have refused to evacuate the path of Hurricane Helene in Florida have been instructed to write their details on their body in permanent marker.
At least one fatality in Florida was blamed on the hurricane so far, authorities said, as the Category Four storm made landfall around 11.10pm Eastern time (3.10am GMT).
Officials feared more fatalities would be discovered on Friday as the storm gusted in with 140 mph winds. Helene is expected to trigger storm surges that could send 20ft of seawater on land, and dump even more rain.
Authorities said it would likely be several hours before any rescue personnel could head out to help those in need.
Hurricane Helene made landfall overnight
Reuters
A spokesperson from Taylor County Sheriff’s Office said: “If you or someone you know chose not 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.”
Officials pleaded with residents in the path of the storm to hunker down amid the life-threatening conditions. The storm surge was forecast to reach 15 to 20ft in the Big Bend area of the Panhandle region where Helene came ashore.
National Hurricane Center’s director, Michael Brennan said: “A really unsurvivable scenario is going to play out”.
Strong rain bands were whipping parts of coastal Florida, and rainfall had already lashed Georgia, South Carolina, central and western North Carolina and portions of Tennessee. Atlanta, hundreds of miles north of Florida’s Big Bend, was under a tropical storm warning.
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A drone view shows a stilt house as Hurricane Helene intensifies
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Residents play in flood waters as Hurricane Helene approaches in the North Carolina mountains, in Valle Crucis, North Carolina
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks about Hurricane Helene
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the one fatality linked to Helene was a driver whose car was struck by debris. “When we wake up tomorrow morning, the chances are there will likely have been more fatalities,” the Republican added.
In coastal Dunedin, Florida, about 25 miles west of Tampa, state ferry boat operator Ken Wood, 58, planned to ride out the storm with his 16-year-old cat, Andy. He said: “We’re under orders, but I’m going to stay right here at the house.”
The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Deanne Criswell, said at a White House briefing that she would travel to Florida on Friday to assess the damage.
Helene was expected to dump up to 15 inches (38.1 cm) of rain in some isolated spots after making landfall in Florida, causing considerable flash and urban flooding, the hurricane center said.
Residents of Leon County take shelter from Hurricane Helene at Leon High School near downtown Tallahassee, Florida
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Flood waters wash over Guy Ford Road bridge on the Watauga River as Hurricane Helene approaches in the North Carolina mountains, in Sugar Grove, North Carolina
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The National Hurricane Center said Hurricane Helene’s maximum sustained winds had dropped to 90 mph by 2am Friday, but life-threatening storm surge, winds and rain are continuing.
The center of the storm at 2am was inside Georgia, located around 30 miles north of Valdosta, the agency said. It was moving fast, north-northeast at 26 mph.