Hurricane Helene hits Florida

On Thursday evening (local time), Helene made landfall on the coast of Florida. The US National Hurricane Center warns of "catastrophic winds," storm surges and heavy rainfall, even though the hurricane weakened on its way inland.

Impressive, but also life-threatening: One person died in a car accident in the coastal city of Tampa, according to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Helene has also claimed lives in Georgia: A man and a woman died when a caravan was hit by a tornado and flung across a highway.

Meteorologists warn that Helene could trigger a "nightmare" storm surge in coastal areas. The storm, which is rapidly moving inland, has since been downgraded to a category 1 hurricane, with wind speeds of up to 145 kilometers per hour (92 miles per hour). But it remains dangerous.

In Madeira Beach, Florida, the hurricane left streets flooded. The National Weather Service fears flooding on a scale not seen for more than a century and warns of waves up to six meters high (19 feet). The entire west coast of Florida and the Big Bend region in the north of the state are particularly affected.

Over the past few days, the hurricane had already caused numerous floods and power cuts in Cuba. Severe flooding, such as here in Batabano, cut off several villages on the Caribbean island from the outside world. Jesus Hernandez transports his little granddaughter across the flooded streets in a small container.

Even before it hit the US East Coast, strong winds caused chaos and destroyed power lines, such as here near Crawfordville, Florida. According to the website poweroutage.us, more than 1.1 million households in Florida were without power, while 90,000 households in the neighboring state of Georgia were affected.

Like many of her compatriots, Amber Hardin has taken refuge in an emergency shelter. US President Joe Biden appealed to people in the affected areas to follow the evacuation instructions issued by the local authorities. "Take this seriously, and be safe," Biden said.