Hurricane Helene is heading toward Florida, USA, at a fast pace.
And when the storm moves in, devastation awaits.
– You can compare with Katrina in 2005, it moved in over Louisana and there are also extremely low-lying delta areas. Then it was just like now, that the meteorologists knew when and which way it took, but no one could see the devastation it would create.
The evacuation is in full swing before Hurricane Helene is expected to enter the Florida coast Friday morning Swedish time. The hurricane can reach strength 4 out of 5 on the scale – which means a disaster levelreports CNN.
The hurricane, which has already hit parts of Mexico and Cuba, is expected to hit low-lying areas, which could mean enormous danger to people and damage with destroyed houses and roads swept away in bodies of water.
The National Weather Service in Tallahassee described the threat from the storm surge to Apalachee Bay as “catastrophic and/or potentially unsurvivable,” writes CNN.
– It is an extremely serious weather situation, which is why they are evacuating. You risk not surviving otherwise if the tidal wave enters where it is expected, says TV4’s meteorologist Madeleine Westin.
Six meter high tidal wave
The hurricane was created by high temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico and a low pressure that quickly deepened, says Westin. And the winds can reach 60 meters per second with gusts of 80 meters per second.
When the hurricane moves in over the country, a large tidal wave is also expected to arrive, which can be six meters high.
– People are extremely worried, they take this very seriously.
Compared to Katrina
There is a risk of a devastation that can be compared to that after Hurricane Katrina, which swept across Louisiana in 2005, says Madeleine Westin. It is the same kind of areas that are affected.
– You can compare with Katrina in 2005, it moved in over Louisana and there are also extremely low-lying delta areas. Then it was just like now, that the meteorologists knew when and which way it took, but no one could see the devastation it would create.