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Photos show flooding and destruction as Hurricane Helene slams Florida, leaving over 3 million homes and businesses without power

September 27, 20240
A vessel capsized along a beach in St. Petersburg, Florida

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The storm made landfall near the Aucilla River around 11:10 p.m. ET with 140 mph winds, the Associated Press reported Friday, citing the NOAA National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Florida residents were urged to shelter in place as Hurricane Helene approached.
Vehicles drive along a flooded road as Hurricane Helene makes landfall in St. Pete Beach, Florida.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Gov. DeSantis said during a press conference late Thursday that he had had a report of a fatality in Tampa after a sign fell on a car.

“We know that travel on the roads can be hazardous, and we typically, unfortunately, will have fatalities in every storm from that,” said Desantis. “When Floridians wake up tomorrow morning, we’re going to be waking up to a state where very likely there’s been additional loss of life.”

Over a million homes and businesses were left without power in Florida.
An empty road in St. Pete Beach, Florida, on Thursday.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

During a press conference Thursday night in Tallahassee, DeSantis said that Southwest Florida and the Tampa Bay area had experienced significant flooding and that emergency services were on standby to help restore the city services once the storm clears.

Tallahassee Police said in a Friday X post that they have increased staffing levels and activated chainsaw crews to assist with emergencies as Hurricane Helene impacts the area.

The storm swept across Georgia on Friday night, with three hurricane-related deaths reported in the state.
A gas station employee in Georgia wraps fuel pumps in preparation for Hurricane Helene.

Mike Stewart/Associated Press

Sixteen Georgia counties remain on tornado watch as of press time, according to the National Weather Service on Friday.

Two people died after a suspected tornado overturned their mobile home in Wheeler County, Georgia, ahead of Helene’s landfall, Fox affiliate WGXA News reported.

Meanwhile, a firefighter died in Pierce County after his car was struck by a falling tree, according to NBC affiliate First Coast News.

The governors of Georgia, Alabama, the Carolinas, and Virginia have all declared states of emergency, the AP reported Friday.