WASHINGTON, D.C. – Florida is bracing for a potential hurricane to hit later this week. NOAA officials believe the storm will bring a lot of wind, rain and storm surge. Other government agencies are encouraging people near it’s path to be prepared. Based off satellite images and hurricane reconnaissance aircraft, NOAA officials said the storm in the Caribbean could get worse in the coming days.
“The story is what it will become as it moves to the eastern Gulf of Mexico and begins to approach the Florida peninsula as a major hurricane on Thursday,” said Jamie Rhome, deputy director of the National Hurricane Center.
The tropical storm has now been named Helene. Rhome said Helene is a unique storm that could cause a lot of problems.
“First and foremost it is going to be a big storm and by big I mean not intensity but in size and big storms cause big problems,” said Rhome. “You basically have [storm surge] watches extending from the Florida Keys all the way around to the Florida panhandle. That’s multiple hundreds of miles just to give you a sense of how big this storm is.”
They expect Tropical Storm Helene to bring heavy wind and rain to parts of the western Caribbean, even potential flooding and mudslides across western Cuba. For some parts of Florida, there could be 10 to 15 feet of storm surge.
“Big storms push more water regardless of the intensity,” said Rhome. “If it’s big, it’s going to push more water so we’re gonna have a significant storm surge threat along basically along the entire west coast of the Florida peninsula which is currently under a storm surge watch.”
FEMA said they’re ready to support local and state efforts ahead of the storm. They’re also encouraging people that now is the time to be prepared. They’re encouraging people to know your evacuation route, stay informed and have a plan for multiple storm scenarios.
