Hurricane Helene grows to category 4: it could cause up to six meters of a “deadly ocean tide”

The inhabitants of the state of Florida in the south of USA They prepare for the arrival of the “extremely dangerous” Hurricane Helene, that threatens to cause up to six meters of a “deadly ocean tide.”

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami reported that The storm, which is moving at high speed, strengthened to Category 4.

“A hurricane hunting aircraft from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is investigating Helene, discovered that maximum sustained winds have increased to 215 km/h” in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, the NHC added. Helene is expected to make landfall on Florida’s Big Bend coast.

The Tampa and Tallahassee airports have already closed and the Florida Governor Ron DeSantisurged residents to rush final preparations before the storm arrives.

“We expect a storm surge flood of between 4.5 and 6 meters above ground level,” warned the NHC director. Mike Brennan.

They affirm that the event will affect several states and that the water could rise to the second floor of a building

“That’s up to the top of the second floor of a building. Again, this part of the Florida coast is going to be a scenario we’ve never seen before,” Brennan warned.

Several states are in the potential route and were already being hit by strong winds and heavy rain.

“This will be a multi-state event that could have a significant impact,” said the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Deanne Criswell, to reporters at the White House, after briefing President Joe Biden on the situation.

“The president wants to make sure everyone pays attention to the potential life-threatening impacts of this storm,” he said.

A 402 km stretch of coast, from Tampa Bay to Panama City, is on alert due to the hurricane.

If weather predictions are confirmed, Helene would become the most powerful hurricane to hit the United States in more than a year.