After making landfall on Thursday, Category 4 Hurricane Helene has left over 2 million people without power across the East Coast of the United States. Described as the hurricane that will break all records, the affected states include Florida - where Hurricane Helene made landfall -, Georgia, and South Carolina, among others.
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According to the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Helene, which sustained winds at a maximum of 140 mph, hit Big Bend - a region in north Florida - during the late hours of Thursday, at around 11 p.m.
Big Bend is located 10 miles from Perry, Florida, and while both aren't particularly as populated as other cities and counties in Florida, Hurricane Helene has taken a toll on Floridians.
Approximately, Hurricane Helene left more than 1.25 million Floridians without power. Georgians and South Carolinians weren't left behind, although on a lower scale.
According to poweroutage.us, power outages have affected almost 650,000 Georgians and 200,000 South Carolinians.
The Effects Of Hurricane Helene
However, as Hurricane Helene moved to the northwest, power outages reportedly increased dramatically in Georgia and South Carolina, extending to North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Kentucky. Georgia and South Carolina now report over 2 million people without power.
North Carolina has over 500,000 power outage incidents, Tennessee and Virginia 50,000 each, and Kentucky just short of 15,000. Several airports across the states were closed due to the storm.
Internationally, Hurricane Helene has also taken its toll on Mexico - specifically, the Yucatan Peninsula - and Cuba.
After it formed in the Caribbean Sea and gained an eye on Thursday, several states issued hurricane alerts. Cody Braud, Fox Weather meteorologist, talked to the New York Post about Hurricane Helene's danger.
"We're talking an expansive area compared to a typical storm, where maybe the tropical storm force winds only extend 100 or 150 miles out from the center," said Braud. "This one is essentially double that, maybe getting close to almost three times as large as a normal storm we see move through the Gulf."
NBC News reported that around 3,500 National Guard soldiers are ready to respond to Hurricane Helene in Florida. This extends to 200 Florida Highway Patrol troopers, 40 large pumps, and 550 generators.
