Hurricane Helene is proving to be a storm of historic proportion, wreaking havoc on travel in and out of Florida and flooding the streets of Cancun.
The BBC said official forecasts and warnings for Helene, which has been upgraded to a Category 2 hurricane, describe its likely impacts as "catastrophic," "life-threatening," and "unsurvivable."
The governors of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia have declared states of emergency ahead of the storm's landfall. Officials warned that heavy rains and flooding could also hit parts of Cuba.
Footage on social media showed a street in the hotel zone of Cancun under water. There were widespread reports of flooding on the Riviera Maya.
Videos uploaded by tourists and locals in Cancún showed buses attempting to drive through flooded streets in the area where many of the city's hotels are located, the BBC said. But the governor of Quintana Roo said there had been no casualties and officials reported that power was being restored to areas where it had been cut.
TPA said it shut down operations at 2 a.m. on 26SEP to prepare for the storm and would open when it was safe to do so. As of 10:30 a.m. ET, FlightAware.com showed 422 cancelled flights in and out of Tampa International, plus 119 out of RSW and 64 out of Sarasota/Bradenton. More than 100 departures and arrivals also were cancelled at ATL, and dozens more at MCO, JAX, MIA, FLL and TLH/Tallahassee, which is expected to be hit hard by heavy winds and rains after Helene makes landfall.
The YYZ departures website showed a WS flight from Toronto to Fort Myers was cancelled on 26SEP, as were Air Canada flights to ATL, TPA and MCO.
Cruise Industry News reports Carnival Cruise Line changed itineraries for five ships, including the Carnival Paradise and the Carnival Valor, while Royal Caribbean also is adjusting its sailing for five ships and moving some cruises from the Western Caribbean to the East.
Ryan Truchelut, founder of WeatherTiger and a hurricane forecaster for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, told USA TODAY that Helene is a storm without precedent.
"Helene stands toe-to-toe with any of the threats that Florida has faced over the past 10 years or indeed really over hurricane history," Truchelut said.
“A catastrophic and deadly storm surge is likely along portions of the Florida Big Bend coast, where inundation could reach as high as 20 feet above ground level, along with destructive waves,” the National Hurricane Center warned.
This story will be updated as further information becomes available.
