Update: CNN reports that Hurricane Helene has officially become a Category 4 with winds reaching 130 mph.
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Original story follows:
Hurricane Helene is bearing down on Florida as we speak, and the forecast is grim for those caught in the powerful storm's path.
Forecasters confirm that Hurricane Helene has strengthened into a Category 3 storm. It has winds of 125 miles per hour. However, they predict that the storm will strengthen to a Category 4 before it hits Florida.
The National Hurricane Center reports, "It seems likely that Helene will be at or very near Category 4 strength when it makes landfall in the Florida Big Bend this evening." Likewise, AccuWeather forecasters predict Helene will reach Category 4 status. That brings winds of 131 to 155 mph.
In preparation for the storm, Florida counties issued evacuation orders for residents. These included Franklin, Taylor, Liberty and Wakulla.
"Helene is a very dangerous hurricane and could become a 'once-in-a-generation storm' across western South Carolina and North Carolina, as well as northern and eastern Georgia," AccuWeather senior director of dorecasting operations Dan DePodwin, said.
Hurricane Helene Evacuations
Meanwhile, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri expressed frustration with residents refusing to leave their homes. "We've got a problem, and the problem is that way too many people in Zone A aren't listening," Gualtieri said. "We've been out there this morning, there's just way too many people in the area."
Hurricane Helene may bring a storm surge of 5-8 feet. "They've got to get out,'' Gualtieri said, "and there's going to reach a point where you're on your own because we're not going to get our people killed because you don't want to listen to what we're saying."
Meanwhile, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell plans to visit Florida on Friday to assess the damage.
"Me being on the ground helps me validate some of the damage more quickly, so we can get major declarations in place faster," she told reporters at a White House briefing Thursday, adding the agency has the resources it needs to respond to this disaster.
Criswell said that FEMA has already deployed resources to locations that will be affected by the storm.
"Take the storm seriously,'' Criswell said. "People in Hurricane Helene's path, you need to listen to your local officials. If they tell you to evacuate, please do so, and if they tell you to shelter in place, then that's what you should do. They're going to give you the best information that you can do for your specific situation. Those decisions can save lives."
