Hurricane Helene has caused at least two dozen deaths in Florida's Big Bend region, making landfall as the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the area. The region, still recovering from Hurricane Idalia in 2022, is frequently targeted by tropical storms due to its geography and proximity to the Gulf of Mexico.
The topography of Florida 's Gulf Coast makes it susceptible to storm surge . Hurricane Helene is being blamed for at least two dozen deaths-- the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the Big Bend on record.
The sheer radius of Helene is going to make the storm surge particularly problematic, because the additional water gets "shoved" onto the coast for an extended amount of time, Shepherd said. "Stronger winds pile up more water, creating bigger storm surges," Michael Mann, a professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science at the University of Pennsylvania, told ABC News.Video shows the U.S.Coast Guard rescuing a man and his dog as Hurricane Helene fast approached
While many factors contribute to the magnitude and impacts of storm surge and coastal flooding, average sea levels for many Gulf Coast communities are more than six inches higher today than they were just a few decades ago, data shows. During that same time period, the eastern Gulf Coast is projected to experience an average sea level rise of 8 to 12 inches, with even greater increases of 12 to 16 inches along the western Gulf Coast.
Hurricane Helene Florida Big Bend Storm Surge Coastal Vulnerability
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