Florida, Sep 27 (IANS): Hurricane Helene made landfall approximately 10 miles west of Perry, Florida, at 11:10 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, with maximum sustained winds reaching 140 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center on Friday.

Power outages have already affected over 250,000 homes and businesses in Florida, with reports indicating that nearly one million customers are currently without electricity statewide. As of the latest update, over 160,000 residents have lost power, according to Poweroutage.us.

The storm was upgraded to an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 hurricane earlier that day, prompting widespread preparations across the region.

As of Thursday evening, Helene was located about 120 miles west of Tampa, maintaining sustained winds of 130 mph, according to the US National Hurricane Center. Category 4 hurricanes are characterised by winds exceeding 130 mph, which can inflict severe damage to homes, uproot trees, and down power lines.

In anticipation of the storm's impact, states of emergency have been declared in Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia, and Alabama.

President Joe Biden also declared a state of emergency in Alabama ahead of Helene's landfall on Thursday.

Efforts are underway to deploy zero-emission equipment intended to mitigate reliance on gas and diesel-powered generators, which are both environmentally harmful and costly. This equipment is being transported from Louisiana, where it was previously utilised during outages caused by Hurricane Francine.

Residents are urged to stay indoors and follow safety protocols as Hurricane Helene continues to impact the region.