A category 4 hurricane, now dubbed “Helene,” ravaged the southeastern United States for four days, reaching the U.S. on Sept. 26 and ending on Sept. 29, though it had begun a couple days prior on Sept. 24. The destruction from Helene, which spanned over 500 miles throughout the country, has resulted in the deaths of 227 people, a number that continues to rise as debris is cleared and the bodies of those missing are uncovered.

The storm had initially sprung up in the Caribbean, tearing apart communities and causing particularly disastrous flooding in Cuba. The day after, on Sept. 25, Helene caused considerable damage in the Mexican provinces of Yucatan and Quintana Roo, which lay southwest of Cuba.

Sept. 26 was when the hurricane both touched down in the United States and when it became classified as a category 4 hurricane, the second deadliest classification of hurricane. Said classification states that the hurricane can produce winds between 130 mph and 156 mph, winds so strong that trees can be uprooted and houses can lose their siding and roofs, with residential areas becoming abandoned and uninhabitable for weeks to possibly a few months. From this date until Sept. 29, Helene travelled through the southeast and damaged areas in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.

The hurricane would also produce over 20 tornadoes throughout the affected states with winds reaching peaks of 106 mph. It is considered to be the deadliest hurricane to hit the United States since Katrina in 2005.

A new disturbance is growing in the Gulf of Mexico, specifically west of the Yucatan peninsula and east of Tampico. It began to be classified as a tropical storm on Oct. 5. A day later, it became classified as a category 1 hurricane, named “Milton.” The storm has since grown into a category 4 hurricane.
At the time of writing, is estimated to skim the top of the Yucatan peninsula and once again tear through Florida, entering directly towards Tampa and going straight through Orlando. On impact, which is estimated at around 7pm on Oct. 9, the hurricane is predicted to collide as a category 3 and move down to a category 1 by the time it exits the state towards the North Atlantic Ocean.

During this period between the two hurricanes, evacuations orders have been pushed out for many areas in Florida expected to take the brunt of the hurricane, with mandatory evacuation orders being sent to Charlotte, Citrus, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee and Pasco County. Voluntary evacuation orders have also been sent out to a number of other counties.

Tampa is also rushing to clear the debris from Helene before Milton arrives so that said debris cannot be flung as projectiles by the strong winds. Currently, Tampa Bay is expected to see an average of 5-10 inches of flooding, with as much as 15 inches possible. The expected storm surge – the rising of seawater levels during storms – could range from 8 to 12 feet, considerably higher than Helene’s 7 to 8 foot storm surge. Winds are also expected to reach speeds of around 100 mph.