A road is empty of traffic as Hurricane Helene churns offshore in St. Pete Beach, Florida. AFP

Gulf Today Report

The UAE Embassy in Washington, DC, urged UAE citizens in the West Coast of Florida, South Carolina and Atlanta to exercise caution due to Hurricane Helene.

The mission also stresses the need to follow safety instructions issued by the authorities, and to contact emergency numbers on 0097180024 or 0097180044444 and register for the UAE’s Tawajudi service.

Hurricane Helene roared through Florida and into Georgia on Friday as one of the most powerful storms to hit the US, with fears of deaths and widespread destruction in its wake.

At least one fatality in Florida was blamed on the hurricane so far, authorities said, as the Category 4 storm made landfall around 11:10 pm Eastern time (0310 GMT).

Even before its arrival, the storm had caused power outages for over 1 million customers and severe flooding in several areas.

Officials feared more fatalities would be discovered on Friday as the storm gusted in with 140 mph (225 kph) winds but weakened to 75 mph (120 kph) as it headed north into Georgia.

Helene was expected to trigger storm surges that could send 20 feet (6 meters) of seawater on land, and dump even more rain.

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 National Hurricane Center (NHC).