(The Center Square) – Two people have died and 1.2 million are without power in Florida following Hurricane Helene’s landfall Thursday, the state says.
Helene made landfall in Dekle Beach in Taylor County in the evening as a Category 4 storm. She is the most powerful storm to hit the Big Bend region in recorded history with winds of 140 mph and surge flooding of 20 feet or more in some areas.
Record storm surge flooded the Gulf Coast, particularly in the Tampa Bay area. The Sunshine Skyway, Gandy, Courtney Campbell and Howard Franklin bridges remained closed on Friday morning pending inspections by the Florida Department of Transportation.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said there was a traffic fatality related to Helene and another in Dixie County in the Big Bend when a tree fell on a house during the storm.
He also said search and rescue teams from local sheriffs, the National Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife had completed “thousands of missions” to recover stranded residents and their pets from rising floodwaters and transport them to safety.
DeSantis said the 1.2 million without power included 382,000 from Duke Energy, 284,000 from electric power associations, 243,000 from municipal power associations, 233,000 from Florida Power and Light, 77,000 from Tampa Electric, and 11,000 from Florida Public Utilities.
He said Department of Transportation crews started “cut and toss” operations to clear highways of tree limbs and other debris at 3 a.m. after the storm had passed. That allowed Interstates 10 and 75 to be fully open.
Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue said 470 workers had already cleared 2,000 miles of highway.
“We have crews, FDOT crews and contractors out there working right now to inspect some of the causeways were underwater,” Perdue said. “So we have to inspect those, make sure they’re safe, to pass, affect any repairs to damage that might be out there and also clear the roads and debris.
“We’re going to get those open as soon as possible. We had a lot of roads underwater. When roads go underwater, it can be very dangerous. If you are out driving around those roads are still underwater. Please do not drive through water. It can be very dangerous. You don’t know what’s going on underneath the water.”
Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie urged residents to take pictures both from close up and from afar before engaging in cleanup operations.
“Please do not go out and visit the impacted areas. I beg you,” Guthrie said. “We literally have over 1,500 search and rescue personnel in the highly impacted areas right now.
“Do not get in their way. We need you to stay off the roads. Get out of our way so that we can go do our jobs. Listen to your local authorities for updates on when it is safe to go outside or when it is safe to return to your homes.”
Helene was the third hurricane to hit the region in 13 months, preceded by Hurricane Debby, a Category 1 storm that made landfall on Aug. 5, and Hurricane Idalia, which struck the region as a Category 3 storm on Aug. 30, 2023.