INFO:

Watch a view of Tampa as Florida braces for the arrival of Hurricane Helene on Thursday 26 September, forecast to be a powerful Category 4 storm when it smashes into the state’s panhandle. Officials have issued dire warnings, pleading with residents in coastal areas along the hurricane’s path to evacuate ahead of catastrophic winds and a potentially deadly storm surge, the wall of seawater pushed on land by hurricane-force winds, that could rise to 20 feet (6.1 meters) in some spots. “This is not a survivable event for those in coastal or low-lying areas,” said Jared Miller, the sheriff of Wakulla County, where Helene is forecast to make landfall.