Tropical Storm Helena Loses Strength
"Swirling monster" Helene, once labeled as "extremely harmful", has hit Florida's shores. The chaos brought about destructive flooding and power failures. On Friday, the National Hurricane Center issued a warning, stating that despite its weakening, Helene still posed a serious hazard.
Initially, Helene was marked as a Category 4 hurricane, but was later demoted to a Category 1.
Over 1.1 million homes in Florida lost power, as per poweroutage.us, with around 90,000 households in adjacent Georgia suffering the same fate. Numerous roads were submerged under water. The U.S. Hurricane Center predicted "dangerous flooding" and landslides.
Helene had been traversing the Gulf of Mexico, packing winds as strong as 225 kilometers per hour. Late on Thursday (local time), Helene made landfall in Florida. As per authorities, the storm's winds had weakened to 145 kilometers per hour last.**
Airport operations were halted in the cities of Tampa and Tallahassee, Florida.
Despite the weakening of Helene, the danger of dangerous flooding and potential landslides remained a serious concern. Many roads remained submerged, posing a significant danger to travelers.
