Officials have ordered all tourists to leave as well as all RVs. Mandatory evacuations also are in place for residents in Highland View, Wind Mark, St. Joe Beach, Beacon Hill to the county line and for the City of Port St. Joe for everyone from St. Joseph Bay to North Garrison Avenue and everyone from the bay to Garrison Avenue.

Hurricane Helene formed Wednesday morning as Tampa Bay officials issued more evacuation orders and urged residents to get ready as the window to prepare is shrinking. A stretch from Pasco County north along the Big Bend to Mexico Beach in the Panhandle is under a hurricane warning.

In a special update from the National Hurricane Center, Helene made landfall just east of the mouth of the Aucilla River. This is about 10 miles west-southwest of Perry, Florida. Based on data from Air Force reconnaissance aircraft, the maximum sustained winds are estimated to be 140 mph.