At least 43 people have been killed across the southeast US since Storm Helene made landfall in Florida last night - including first responders in South Carolina and Georgia who died trying to save others
Streets are underwater in parts of Georgia, where the National Weather Service has issued flash flood warnings and warned more than a million people are at risk. At least 15 have died in the state
In Florida, clean up operations are under way, with a Cedar Key resident telling the BBC his home "miraculously survived" while others "are missing or flattened" entirely
One of the biggest storms to ever hit the Gulf Coast, Helene has barrelled across Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas after devastating Florida with fierce winds and flash flooding.
Originally a category four hurricane, Helene was downgraded to a tropical storm on Friday and then a tropical depression
Dramatic flooding and rescues as Hurricane Helene hits Florida
DeSantis says the authorities are ready to start search and rescue operations as soon as it's safe to do so.
He says there are 35,000 members of the National Guard "standing by" as well as the state guard and state troopers at the ready.
They are also ready to clear debris from the roadways.
DeSantis is listing precautions that people should take as the hurricane makes landfall.
He asks people in affected areas to "stay put".
"Treat it like a tornado," he says, adding trees and power lines will fall down.
He also warns people to be careful of debris and to not use generators inside if they lose power.
Gov DeSantis says at least one person has already died in the hurricane after a sign fell on a roadway.
He said it happened on Interstate 4 near the Tampa area.
DeSantis urged people to not travel, saying the "roads can be hazardous" and it's "very, very dangerous".
"Stay put!"
Desantis has now taken the podium and says the category four hurricane is now making landfall near Big Bend, Florida.
"You need to be hunkering down," he says, and tells people to stay inside and avoid the roads.
We're expecting an update on the hurricane from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in around five minutes.
Stay tuned while we bring you updates from his press conference in Tallahassee.
Hurricane Helene is "beginning to move ashore" along the coast of Florida's Big Bend, south of the state capital Tallahassee, the National Hurricane Centre says.
"Helene is an extremely dangerous category four hurricane," the centre posted on X., external
"As catastrophic winds spread onshore, please do not leave your shelters and remain in place through the passage of these life-threatening conditions.
"When the eye comes ashore, do not venture out! Helene is moving quickly, and hazardous winds will return rapidly as the eye passes."
Christal Hayes
Senior journalist
Image source, Provided by Briana GagnierBriana Gagnier wades through the flooded streets of Holmes Beach in Florida
Briana Gagnier wades through the waist-high water that used to be a street.
In her 12 years of living on Holmes Beach, Florida, she says she's never seen such strong storm surge.
"It looks like white water rapids outside," the 29-year-old tells me. "It's so strong and you can see everything being carried away - chairs, cushions, coolers, garbage."
Image source, Provided by Briana GagnierShe's watched the storm quickly strengthen from a tropical storm into a Category 4 hurricane but says she felt she needed to stay behind and try to protect her one-story home, which sits on a barrier island off Florida's Gulf Coast.
"The water is already in our garage," she tells me. "We have every sandbag possible at every door - anything to help stop it from coming inside."
Gagnier said while walking through the area, she saw basically every home along the coast with water flowing inside.
"You see images like this on the news but I've never seen it in my backyard," she says. "It's eerie."
Image source, Provided by Briana Gagnier
National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan says he's "very concerned" about multiple life-threatening hazards that could start to play out in the next couple of hours as Helene makes landfall.
Ten to 20 feet of storm surge is expected in some areas of Florida.
"Twenty feet is enough to inundate a two story building," he says.
"This is going to create unsurvivable conditions in these areas," he adds.
Image source, ReutersEriya Lockley, 4, spends time with mother Ebony Lockley while both take shelter from Hurricane Helene at Leon High School near downtown Tallahassee, Florida,
Image source, ReutersAmber Hardin, 27, spends time with her dog Ducky
Image source, ReutersResidents of Leon County bed down at Leon High School
The Taylor County Sheriff's office has shared a post, external on social media with a worst case scenario message for those who are refusing to evacuate.
Quote MessageIf you or someone you know chose not to evacuate, PLEASE write your, Name, birthday and important information on your arm or leg in A PERMANENT MARKER so that you can be identified and family notified"
Taylor County Sheriff's office
The sheriff's office requested those who have evacuated to only return when given the all clear by the Emergency Operations Center.
"Many roads will be impassable, and there may be downed power lines, fallen trees, and other dangerous conditions," the warning on social media states.
Taylor County is south-east of Tallahassee, on the Big Bend coastline where "catastrophic" storm surges are expected.
Christal Hayes
Senior journalist
Denise O'Connor Badalamenti has lived in Florida for decades. She's seen countless hurricanes but Helene has her more on edge than ever before.
"I think this is going to be the one," the 62-year-old tells me from her Bradenton home, which sits blocks from the water. "I feel like we're always in the cone of possibly being targeted but then get sparred at the last minute, but I don't think we're going to get lucky again."
Her mother's home has flooded six times over the years and this morning, water was already creeping up their driveway. They taped up all the doors shut, hoping to stop any flooding.
"This one is just massive. It's scary," she tells me. She has stockpiled supplies and has an assortment of food ready if they lose electricity.
"We're ready for the worst."
The National Hurricane Center has just updated its advice, external for the category four Hurricane Helene.
The “extremely dangerous” storm is nearing the northeast Gulf Coast and is currently about 80 miles (125km) off Cedar Key in Florida. It’s moving at 23mph (37km/h) and is expected to make landfall shortly.
The storm could strengthen before the eye reaches the coast.
Storm surge
There are storm surge warnings for Mexico Beach eastward and southward to Flamingo, Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor. The surge is expected to be as high as 15-20ft (6m) between Carrabelle and Suwannee River.
Residents are warned there will also be large and dangerous waves.
Powerful winds
Maximum sustained winds are near 130mph (215 km/h) with higher gusts. Residents are warned not to go outside if the winds are calm, because it would likely be the eye of the storm and powerful winds will follow.
Tornadoes
There is a tornado risk across Florida, southeast Georgia, and parts of North and South Carolina.
Christal Hayes
Senior journalist
John Dailey, the mayor of Tallahassee, has just been speaking on CNN.
He says the city, Florida's state capital, has been preparing all week for what's about to come.
"If we have a direct hit with a category four hurricane, it will be the most powerful storm ever to hit the city of Tallahassee in written history," he says.
The storm is currently a category four and is about 150 miles (242km) away from Tallahassee, a city with a population of about 200,000.
Dailey says the city is 30 miles inland, so his major concern is wind and rain - not the storm surge which has been described by authorities as potentially "catastrophic".
The mayor says "we are prepared", but that "now’s the time to see what mother nature’s going to bring us".
Mickey Moore, 54, has lived in his home in the city for about 15 years and the worst he's seen coming from a hurricane is his power going out. This one, he says, has him concerned.
"A Category 4 - it's just so big," he tells me, taking a break from a game of Monopoly with his two sons and wife.
"We expect this year to be different."
He says he's moved all his outdoor furniture inside his house, which is about 20 miles from the Gulf of Mexico - and right in the eye of the storm's track.
"We've been fortunate in past storms," he adds. "We don't take it for granted."
Image source, Provided by Mickey MooreMickey Moore, his wife and two sons - aged 7 and 10.
Ana Faguy
US Reporter
Image source, Brandon Livesay / BBCWhen hurricanes hit the US, many are quick to judge the severity of the storm using something called the Waffle House Index.
“Right now it’s pretty much a ghost town. Everything’s closed. Everything’s boarded up.” Cainnon Gregg, a Florida resident from Wakulla County, told the BBC earlier today.
“Even Waffle House is closed,” he added.
So, what is the Waffle House Index?
The Waffle House is a US restaurant chain that is known for operating 24 hours, 365 days a year, often staying open in really nasty weather.
Because of its always-operating mentality, if a restaurant closes, residents take that as a sign of a serious storm.
The term Waffle House Index became popular when Craig Fugate, former administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said: "If you get there and the Waffle House is closed, that's really bad. That's where you go to work."
The diner chain even has a colour-coded system to indicate how serious a storm is:
As Helene's outer bands continue whipping Florida, nearly 300,000 people are without power.
A total of 291,553 customers are in the dark, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks outages.
Helene is set to make landfall in the state later this evening so outages could continue to spike.
Christal Hayes
Senior journalist
Image source, Provided by ML FergusonWater - and globs of seaweed - creeped inside the Bridge Tender Inn Dockside & Tiki Bar
Hurricane Helene hasn't made landfall yet but the impacts are already being seen along the coast of Florida.
I checked in with people from my hometown near Anna Maria Island - a beachside community on the Gulf Coast of Florida - where streets are already flooded, and businesses and homes are seeing water gushing inside.
ML Ferguson told me streets now look like rivers. Water was quickly overwhelming the beachside bar where she works - the Bridge Tender Inn Dockside & Tiki Bar - with waves splashing the sign and chunks of seaweed clumped near tables.
Floridians are accustomed to hurricanes, but this area has largely been spared over the years.
She says this one feels different. "We are resilient," she tells me. "We keep an attitude of 'and this too shall pass.'"
By the time she returned to her home, water was starting to creep inside her porch.
"Oh my gosh, it's literally up to the second step," she tells me in a phone interview. "My house is about the flood."
Ferguson quickly moved some tables so she could put things on top of them to prevent the floodwaters from ruining belongings.
Then a person drove down her street, causing a wake and water splashed inside.
"The water is already coming in!" she told me before rushing off the phone to try to stop it.
Image source, Provided by ML FergusonML Ferguson's front porch as water continues to rise
National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan says he's "very concerned" about multiple life-threatening hazards that could start to play out in the next couple of hours as Helene makes landfall.
Ten to 20 feet of storm surge is expected in some areas of Florida.
"Twenty feet is enough to inundate a two story building," he says.
"This is going to create unsurvivable conditions in these areas," he adds.
The National Hurricane Center has upgraded Helene to an "extremely dangerous" category four storm.
Wind speeds inside the storm have increased to 130mph (215km/h).
The storm is about 120 miles (195 km) outside of Tampa and 165 miles (265 km) outside of Tallahassee. It's moving at a speed of about 23mph (37km/h) as it heads towards the coast of Florida's Big Bend.
The hurricane is expected to make landfall later tonight, stick with us for the latest.
Image source, ReutersA Florida man holds an American flag as waves crash at Alligator Point
Image source, Getty ImagesTallahassee State professor Pamela Andrews carries sand bags to a car in preparation for possible flooding as Tropical Storm Helene heads toward the state's Gulf Coast
Image source, EPAA gas station's pump is wrapped as the town prepares for Hurricane Helene in Perry, Florida
While the focus of our reporting has largely been on Florida, which is where Helene is forecasted to make landfall in the US, the graphic we shared earlier shows that it'll pass through other states - including Georgia.
Governor Brian Kemp has been speaking to Reuters news agency this afternoon, saying he expects the storm will "affect our entire state".
"We feel certain we're going to be having to remove debris and clear roads state-wide," he says - adding that the situation could be "very dangerous" and will require a lot of "resources" to get things cleared.
Kemp says he's been told it's one of the biggest storms officials have "ever seen in the Atlantic from a size perspective... It's going to affect a large area as it comes across Florida into Georgia."
Officials have urged residents living in the storm's path to listen to any official advice - including, where necessary, evacuating.