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SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO —Tropical Storm Helene formed Tuesday in the Caribbean Sea and could strengthen into a major hurricane while moving north toward the U.S., forecasters said. Heavy rains and big waves already lashed the Cayman Islands, and some Florida residents began to evacuate or fill sandbags days ahead of anticipated flooding.
Hurricane watches were issued for parts of Cuba, Mexico and a stretch of the Florida coastline, including Tampa Bay, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. A tropical storm warning was issued for parts of the Florida Keys.
The storm was 280 kilometers (175 miles) south of the western tip of Cuba, had sustained winds of 75 kph (45 mph) and was moving northwest at 19 kph (12 mph). It was expected to strengthen into Hurricane Helene on Wednesday as it approached the Gulf Coast and could become a major hurricane Thursday.
In the U.S., federal authorities are positioning generators, food and water, along with search-and-rescue and power restoration teams, White House spokesperson Jeremy Edwards said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency Monday ahead of the storm's arrival on the state's Gulf Coast as soon as late Thursday and increased the counties included in the high-risk area Tuesday from 41 to 61. Florida A&M University postponed its upcoming college football game against Alabama A&M.
"Now is the time to start preparing. If you're in an evacuation zone, you should evacuate," said Lisa Bucci, a specialist at the hurricane center as around 10 Florida counties urged or ordered evacuations. "Don't be fooled by the way the storm looks at the moment."
Hal Summers, a restaurant worker in Mexico Beach, Florida, heeded warnings after he barely survived Hurricane Michael in 2018. DeSantis has said Helene is reminiscent of that Category 5 hurricane, which rapidly intensified and caught residents off guard before plowing a destructive path across the western Florida Panhandle.
When it hit, Summers waded with his cat in his arms as waters began rising rapidly in his parents' house. Their house and his home were destroyed.
"That was such a traumatic experience that that is not the place I needed to be for myself," he said Tuesday as he evacuated with a friend to Marianna, a town farther inland.
Helene is expected to move over deep, warm waters, fueling its intensification. People in regions under watches and warnings should be prepared to lose power and should have enough food and water for at least three days, Bucci said.
Helene, the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, could strengthen into a major Category 3 hurricane - with winds of at least 178 kph (111 mph) - before approaching the northeastern Gulf Coast. Since 2000, eight major hurricanes have made landfall in Florida, according to Philip Klotzbach, a Colorado State University hurricane researcher.
Given the anticipated large size, storm surge, wind and rain will extend far from the center of the expected storm, especially on the eastern side. States as far inland as Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana could see rainfall associated with the storm, Bucci said.
A tropical storm warning was in effect for Florida's Dry Tortugas; the lower Florida Keys west of the Seven Mile Bridge; Rio Lagartos to Tulum, Mexico; and the Cuban provinces of Artemisa, Pinar del Rio, and the Isle of Youth. A tropical storm warning for Grand Cayman was dropped.
A storm surge watch was in effect for Florida's Tampa Bay, Charlotte Harbor, and from Indian Pass south to Flamingo. A tropical storm watch was issued for the middle Florida Keys from the Seven Mile Bridge to the Channel 5 Bridge; Flamingo to south of Englewood; and from west of Indian Pass to the Walton Bay County line.
The sun shone Tuesday in Tarpon Springs, Florida, but residents already filled sandbags as they braced for potential flooding.
Officials in the Cayman Islands closed schools, airports and government offices as strong winds knocked out power in some areas of Grand Cayman, while heavy rain and waves as high as 3 meters (10 feet) unleashed flooding.
Many in Cuba worried about the storm, whose tentacles are expected to reach the capital of Havana, which is struggling with a severe shortage of water, piles of uncollected garbage and chronic power outages.
Helene is expected to slip between Cuba and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula early Wednesday and then head north across the Gulf of Mexico.
Up to 20 centimeters (8 inches) of rain is forecast for western Cuba and the Cayman Islands with isolated totals of 30 centimeters (12 inches). Up to 15 centimeters (6 inches) of rain is expected for the eastern Yucatan, with isolated totals of more than 20 centimeters (8 inches).
Heavy rainfall also was forecast for the southeastern U.S. starting Wednesday, threatening flash and river flooding, according to the National Hurricane Center. Up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) of rain was forecast for the region, with isolated totals of 12 inches (30 centimeters).
A storm surge of up to 5 meters (15 feet) was forecast from Ochlockonee River, Florida, to Chassahowitzka, and up to 3 meters (10 feet) from Chassahowitzka to Anclote River and from Indian Pass to Ochlockonee River.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-average Atlantic hurricane season this year because of record-warm ocean temperatures. It forecast 17 to 25 named storms, with four to seven major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher.
In the Pacific, former Hurricane John killed two people after it barreled into Mexico's southern Pacific coast, blowing tin roofs off houses, triggering mudslides and toppling scores of trees, officials said Tuesday.