Helene is nearing hurricane strength as Florida braces for life-threatening Category 3 storm’s arrival: Live

Tropical Storm Helene is set to strengthen into a Category 3 hurricane today as it approaches Florida.

The storm will make landfall on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service, bringing powerful winds, floods and life-threatening storm surge as thousands evacuate.

Florida’s Big Bend will see the worst of the storm surge, with up to 15 feet possible this week.

Miami Fire Rescue’s search and rescue team Task Force 2 has been deployed, as its 80-member team were on standby with equipment and supplies in its warehouse on Wednesday morning.

Task Force 2 which specializes in swift water rescue and disaster response.

Equipped with SUVs, box trucks, tractors and boats loaded with food and medical supplies, the unit will head to Orlando where it will be stationed until the storm passes.

“We are expecting a Category 3 (hurricane) to enter through the Big Bend, not exactly sure where it’s going to enter, but on the west coast and as you see the storm surge is the biggest concern. So we have water specialists who are specially trained for swift water rescues to help the victims,” he told CBS News.

Tropical Storm Helene is close to being upgraded to a category 1 hurricane with its wind speeds reaching 70mph, National Hurricane Center announced at 7am ET in its latest advisory.

Hurricanes occur when maximum sustained winds reach 74 mph, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Helene is situated just offshore the northeastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, as per the NHC’s update. It continues to move north west at approximately 9mph.

Its tropical storm warning has been extended northward to Altamaha Sound, Georgia.

Blood donation charity OneBlood, that operates across Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas, has called for more donations in preparation of Tropical Storm Helene’s prospective landfall at the west coast of the Florida Peninsula and Big Bend on Thursday.

O Negative, O Positive and platelet donations are particularly in demand, OneBlood said in a press release.

“Hurricanes and tropical systems can disrupt blood collections. The most critical time for blood donations is prior to the storm in order to ensure a ready blood supply during and immediately after the event,” the charity added.

Helene threatens to become the strongest storm to hit the US in over a year, with winds potentially strengthening to up to 120mph by the time the storm hits the Florida Gulf Coast.