Watch: Hurricane Helene makes landfall in Florida as ‘unsurvivable’ Category 4 storm

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Watch from Clearwater, Florida, on Friday 27 September after Hurricane Helene roared ashore the state's Big Bend region as one of the most powerful storms to hit the United States.

At least one fatality in Florida has been blamed on the hurricane so far, authorities said, as the Category 4 storm made landfall around 11:10pm Eastern Time last night.

Even before its arrival, the storm had caused power outages for over one million customers and severe flooding in several areas.

Officials feared more fatalities would be discovered on Friday as the storm gusted in with 140mph winds. Helene is expected to trigger storm surges that could send 20 feet of seawater on land, and dump even more rain.

CCTV footage from Tampa showed cars driving across the Howard Frankland Bridge as dangerous waves lashed the road.

The surge caused by the hurricane could rise as high as 20ft in some spots, Michael Brennan, director of the hurricane centre, said in a video briefing.

“A really unsurvivable scenario is going to play out” he claimed.

Authorities said it would likely be several hours before any rescue personnel could head out to help those in need.

Helene is tied as the 14th most powerful hurricane to hit anywhere in the United States since records have been kept, and is the seventh most powerful to slam into Florida, according to data from the hurricane centre.