Helene makes US landfall as major hurricane in Florida Big Bend
HOUSTON (ICIS) – Hurricane Helene struck the northwestern region of Florida on Thursday night, arriving as a powerful Category 4 storm.
The storm reached the shore in the Big Bend area, just to the east of where the Aucilla River flows into the sea, as reported by the National Hurricane Center at 11:20 PM Eastern Time (3:20 AM GMT on Friday). Its strongest winds were approximately 140 miles per hour.
Helene was heading in a north-northeast direction, while a hurricane warning was active from Anclote River to Mexico Beach.
Big Bend is an area in Florida with a low population density.
Nevertheless, there is a storm surge alert in effect for Tampa Bay, which plays a crucial role in the fertilizer sector in the United States.
According to PowerOutage.us, almost 1 million people in Florida were experiencing power outages.
**PORT CLOSURES** All incoming and outgoing traffic to Port Tampa Bay was halted before the storm hit, and the shipping routes were shut down.
Port Tampa Bay serves as a key entry point for energy products such as oil, gas, jet fuel, and other petroleum goods, in addition to fertilizers. Furthermore, it facilitates the arrival of construction and building supplies.
Additional port shutdowns comprise Panama City, St. Joe, St. Petersburg, Manatee, and Key West along Florida's west side, along with Fernandina, Jacksonville, and Canaveral on the eastern side of the state.
RAIL DISRUPTIONS The railroad company CSX announced its intention to shut down its TRANSFLO terminals located in Tampa and at the Port of Tampa on Thursday.
Norfolk Southern, the railroad company, has advised its customers anticipating shipments in the southeast and mid-Atlantic regions to brace for potential delays.
REBUILDING AND CHEMICAL DEMAND According to CoreLogic, an insurance data firm, Hurricane Helene's trajectory may threaten $5.64 billion in property with potential flooding from storm surges.
Rebuilding after hurricanes often leads to a greater need for various chemicals and polymers.
Further contributions by Al Greenwood.
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