Hurricane Hermine made a landfall in the Florida Gulf Coast on Friday, making it the first hurricane to strike the state in 11 years, BBC reported. Graded as a category one hurricane, state governor Rick Scott described the storm surge as life-threatening and declared an emergency in 51 of Florida's 67 counties.
The meteorological department has predicted flash floods and cautioned citizens to move to higher ground. Officials from the state’s capital, Tallahassee, said power supply to at least 70,000 homes has been disrupted by the storm.
The National Hurricane Center recorded wind gusts at 80 miles per hour (130km per hour) on Thursday, but the gusts have reduced as the storm moves along its course. The weather department has predicted the storm surge to be as high as nine metres in some areas.
Officials said the hurricane could add rainfall measuring up to 10 inches in some places and reach up to 15 inches in a few other areas before moving on to Georgia and the Eastern Carolinas, CNN reported. Hurricane Wilma was the last hurricane to hit the state in 2005.
The National Weather Service has launched a facility called the storm surge watch/warning graphic which shows users the sites at risk.
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