Biden declares emergency as Florida braces for Tropical Storm Helene

Joe Biden declared a state of emergency for Florida on Tuesday afternoon as the state braced for the prospect of Tropical Storm Helene swelling into a powerful hurricane heading for the state’s Gulf coast.

The US president ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local responses. The action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) to coordinate all disaster relief efforts to alleviate hardship and suffering, the White House said.

Helene has developed over the Caribbean and is forecast to strengthen into a major hurricane over the Gulf of Mexico some time on Wednesday with areas of Florida under alert, weather officials announced on Tuesday.

Forecasters are predicting that the center of the tropical storm will move across the far north-western Caribbean Sea through Tuesday night, and then move across the eastern Gulf on Wednesday and Thursday, and potentially reach the Florida coast late on Thursday.

Weather officials say that Helene is expected to become a hurricane on Wednesday and could become a “major hurricane” on Thursday. Experts are saying that Helene could become a category 3 or even category 4 by Thursday.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in an update early on Tuesday evening that storm-surge and hurricane warnings have been issued for the Gulf coast of Florida and “Helene’s large size will likely cause an extensive area to be affected by the storm’s hazards”.

On Monday, the Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, declared a state of emergency in 41 counties, and then later expanded it to another 20 counties, bringing the total number of counties under a state of emergency to 61, in preparation for the approaching storm.

At a news conference on Tuesday morning in Tallahassee, DeSantis said that the National Hurricane Center “has never in their history forecasted a major at this stage of development” adding that “the fact that this would be forecasted as a major at this point, without formation, shows that this has a potential to be a really, really significant storm”.

The governor also said that he had activated the Florida state guard, and that he had also requested a pre-landfall emergency declaration from Fema. Biden granted this on Tuesday afternoon.

In some areas of Florida, mandatory evacuation orders are already in place, according to the Florida division of emergency management. Some other counties have voluntary evacuation orders.

The NHC said on Tuesday that hurricane watches were in effect for Florida’s Tampa Bay and from Englewood to Indian Pass, as well as for eastern Mexico from Cabo Catoche to Tulum – and for Cuba’s Pinar del Río province.

Hurricane conditions could be possible in parts of Cuba and Mexico early on Wednesday and in parts of Florida late on Wednesday and early on Thursday, according to the NHC.

Wind and storm surge warnings will probably be required for the US later on Tuesday, the NHC said.

Over the south-eastern US, Helene is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 4-8in (10-20cm) with isolated totals around 12in, which will probably result in flash and urban flooding.

Since 2000, eight major hurricanes have made landfall in Florida, according to Philip Klotzbach, a Colorado State University hurricane researcher.

Given the anticipated large size, storm surge, wind and rain will extend far from the center of the expected storm, especially on its east side. The NHC warned of “inland penetration of strong winds over parts of the south-eastern United States after landfall”.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for Grand Cayman; for eastern Mexico from Río Lagartos to Tulum; for Cuba’s Artemisa, Pinar del Río, Isla de la Juventud; and the lower Florida Keys west of the Seven Mile Bridge and the Dry Tortugas.

Meanwhile, storm surge watches – indicating a possibility of life-threatening inundation from rising water moving inland – are in effect for Florida’s Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor, and from Indian Pass south to Flamingo.

Tropical storm watches have been issued for the areas in the middle Florida Keys from the Seven Mile Bridge to the Channel 5 Bridge, as well as Flamingo to the south of Englewood and from west of Indian Pass to the Walton-Bay county line.

The National Weather Service in Tallahassee urged people to take potential evacuations seriously. Heavy rainfall is forecast for the south-east US starting on Wednesday, threatening flash and river flooding.

Up to 6in (15cm) of rain was forecast for the region, with isolated totals of 10in.

A storm surge of up to 15ft (5 meters) was forecast from Ochlockonee River, Florida, to Chassahowitzka, and up to 10ft from Chassahowitzka to Anclote River and from Indian Pass to Ochlockonee River.

Officials in Tallahassee wrote on X that the “10-15ft of surge is NOT survivable”.

Officials in the Cayman Islands have shuttered schools and airports as forecasters warn of heavy wind and rain and waves of up to 10ft.

“The current conditions present significant risk, and we must prioritize our safety,” said Ian Yearwood with the Royal Cayman Islands police service.

Meanwhile, many in Cuba worried about the disturbance, whose tentacles are expected to reach the capital, Havana, which is struggling with a severe shortage of water and piles of uncollected garbage.

Overall, roughly 600,000 people in Cuba are experiencing water shortages, including more than 130,000 in Havana alone. Chronic power outages also persist.

The disturbance is expected to slip through waters separating Cuba from Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula late on Tuesday and then head north to the Gulf coast.

Up to 8in of rain is forecast for western Cuba and the Cayman Islands with an isolated total of about 12in. Up to 4in of rain is expected for the eastern Yucatán peninsula, with an isolated total of more than 6in.

The Associated Press contributed reporting