Florida braces as devastating category 4 hurricane Helene approaches
Residents of Florida are anxiously monitoring Hurricane Helene, which was approaching the state's coast on Thursday evening. According to the National Hurricane Center, wind speeds have reached up to 134 mph. "I feel like we're always in the cone of possibly being targeted but then get sparred at the last minute but I don't think we're going to lucky again," says a terrified resident of Bradenton in an interview with BBC News.
Floridians are preparing for Hurricane Helene's arrival, which threatens their homes and lives. According to the National Hurricane Center, the hurricane has already reached Category 4, with winds peaking at 134 mph. This is an extremely powerful and dangerous force capable of causing catastrophic destruction.
Experts warn of a so-called "unsurvivable" storm surge, which can reach heights of up to 20 feet, potentially flooding many coastal areas.
Under these challenging conditions, residents who decided to stay in their homes are fighting to secure their property.
Hurricane Helene. "Nothing is certain"
Briana Gagnier, a resident of Holmes Beach, tells BBC News that she has never experienced such a powerful storm.
It looks like whitewater rapids outside. It's so strong and you can see everything being carried away - chairs, cushions, coolers, garbage - says Briana Gagnier to BBC News.
Despite the serious threat, Gagnier decided to stay in her home.
The water is already in our garage. We have every sandbag possible at every door - anything to help stop it from coming inside - emphasizes Gagnier, adding that although she has seen similar images on television many times, she never thought something like this would happen in her area.
Some residents have taken extreme measures to secure their possessions. Cainnon Gregg, an oyster farmer from Wakulla County, decided to submerge his farm at the bottom of the ocean, hoping that in this way he could protect it from destruction. Hurricane Michael, which hit northern Florida in 2018, destroyed his farm, so now he is doing everything possible to avoid a repeat.
Hopefully, and nothing is for certain, the farm is sitting nice and safe on the bottom - admits Gregg.
People are reluctant to leave their homes
In other places, such as Cedar Key, residents are trying to secure homes and buildings. Many of them, despite authorities' appeals, remain in place. Michael Bobbit, a farmer from the area, says that he tried to convince people to evacuate, but it's not always successful.
Here in Florida, we sort of believe that we’ll just ride it out, it’s no big deal. But this is not one of those storms. A lot of people when they’re leaving the island are hugging each other and crying, saying ‘I hope we have a home to go back to' - says Bobbit to BBC News.
Climate change is affecting the intensity of such phenomena. Research shows that global warming is making hurricanes stronger, and the amount of rainfall is breaking records.
