Helene live updates: Track path as storm nears Florida landfall
(NEW YORK) — A new storm — which will strengthen into Hurricane Helene — is taking aim at Florida, where it’s forecast to make landfall along the Big Bend area as a hurricane on Thursday.
Here’s how the news is developing:
State of emergency declared in 61 Florida counties
Helene is forecast to be a major hurricane by the time it makes landfall Thursday night, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned Monday.
A state of emergency has been declared in 61 of Florida’s 67 counties, DeSantis said.
“The Big Bend and Panhandle should be especially prepared for a direct impact,” the governor said, and he urged residents to know their evacuation zone.
“You have time to be able to put this place into place,” DeSantis said, noting Helene’s impacts could begin Wednesday.
Latest forecast
Helene will strengthen to a hurricane Tuesday night, and rain is expected to begin in Florida Wednesday afternoon into Thursday morning.
On Thursday evening, Helene will make landfall along Florida’s Big Bend area, located between Tallahassee and Gainesville.
Storm surge could reach up to 15 feet in the Big Bend area.
Heavy rain and strong winds are also major threats.
A hurricane watch is in effect for Florida’s Gulf Coast and a tropical storm watch was issued from Orlando to the Florida Keys.
By Thursday night into Friday, the storm will quickly push into Georgia with very heavy rain, gusty winds and possible flash flooding.
This weekend, the storm will stall over the Mid-South, bringing heavy rain and possible flooding to the Tennessee, Ohio and Mississippi River Valleys.
A flood watch has been issued in Florida from Fort Myers to Tampa to Tallahassee, as well as in southern Georgia and Alabama.
(SAN ANTONIO) — The former Marine who spent more than 2,000 days in Russian custody spoke out after a historic, multi-country prisoner swap allowed him and three others to return to the U.S.
Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan and Alsu Kurmasheva deplaned shortly before 4:30 a.m. eastern at Joint Base San Antonio, officially marking the beginning of their next chapter, free and back home in the United States.
The three embraced one another for a photo surrounded by their loved ones and held up the Hostages and Wrongful Detainees flag.
“This is us down here,” Whelan said pointing to three slash marks on the bottom of the flag, “Those last three, that’s us.”
Upon their arrival, they were greeted by officials who gave them instructions on immediate next steps. Col. Davis explained that they would first send them for a medical assessment while their families stayed overnight in hotels off base.
Whelan wore the American flag pin given to him by President Biden at Joint Base Andrews — “It’s a keepsake.”
Whelan criticized the “nonsense narrative [the Russian government] came up with” for his imprisonment.
“So, you know, this is how Putin runs his government. This is how Putin runs his country. Yeah, I’m glad I’m home. Yeah. I’m never going back there again,” he said, with a smile.
He also said he had received thousands of letters of support, so many that the Russian Federal Security Service “stopped giving them to him.”
“I just say thank you to everybody. You know, thank you for all your prayers, your your, you know, good wishes. Thanks for doing everything you did,” he said.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris greeted the three Americans freed from Russian custody as they arrived back on American soil and reunited with their families.
Biden hugged Paul Whelan and the vice president greeted the former Marine as he arrived on the tarmac. Whelan’s sister, Elizabeth Whelan, also on the tarmac awaiting his arrival when he landed.
When Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich arrived on the tarmac, a cheer erupted. He and Biden shook hands and spoke for some time before a long and emotional hug took place between the journalist and his mother, Ella Milman, who was picked up during their embrace at one point.
Alsu Kurmasheva was also welcomed by Biden and Harris. In an emotional moment, she was reunited with her daughters before Biden came over and talked to them as they hugged.
Biden interacted very freely with the press, taking the chance to speak to reporters multiple times on the tarmac.
When asked by a reporter whether he ever thought this moment would come, Biden’s simple reply was “yes.” And when asked what made him so confident, he said it was his relationships with the “other heads of state.”
Biden was also subsequently asked what was his message to Vladmir Putin after the former prisoners were back on American soil.
“Stop,” Biden said.
Biden also said that the scene playing out behind him was the “essence” of America.
“To me, this is about the essence of who we are as a country. It really is about personal relationships,” Biden said. “It’s about family. It’s about being able to have access to the people you love.”
One reporter asked him what the hardest part of securing the deal was.
“The toughest call was for one of the other countries because I asked them to do some things that were against their immediate self-interest,” said Biden. “It was really very difficult for them do, particularly Germany. Slovenia really came at the last minute and I tell you what, [the] chancellor was incredible.”
Biden was also asked about whether he was making calls to secure this deal within the hour that he announced his decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.
“I would get this done even if I was seeking a second term. You’re stuck with me as president for a while, kid, there’s no way out, okay,” Biden said. “You got me for at least another 100 — 90 days or so. So it had to do with that. It had to do with the opportunity trying to convince one last country to say okay, they’ll step up.”
When asked about whether this deal would be part of his legacy, Biden sidestepped, saying it’s something to talk about “another time.”
“This is just an extraordinary testament to the importance of having a president who understands the power of diplomacy and understands the strength that rests in understanding the significance of diplomacy and strengthening alliances this criticism, incredible day saving families, in their eyes and in their cries,” Harris said as the Kurmasheva family could be heard crying behind her when they were reunited.
(MEMPHIS, Tenn.) — Jury selection is set to begin Monday in the federal trial of three former Memphis officers charged in connection with the death of Tyre Nichols: Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith
Nichols, 29, died several days after a January 2023 traffic stop captured in body camera footage and surveillance footage, which allegedly shows officers violently striking Nichols repeatedly and walking around, talking to each other as Nichols was injured and sitting on the ground. His fatal beating triggered protests and calls for police reform.
The medical examiner’s official autopsy report for Nichols showed he “died of brain injuries from blunt force trauma,” the district attorney’s office told Nichols’ family in May 2023.
Five former officers were charged, including Bean, Haley and Smith who are now on trial and have pleaded not guilty, as well as Desmond Mills Jr. and Emmitt Martin III, who have pleaded guilty to some of the federal charges.
Bean, Haley and Smith are accused of violating Nichols’ civil rights through excessive use of force, unlawful assault, failing to intervene in the assault, failing to render medical aid, and conspiring to engage in misleading conduct by attempting to falsify or intentionally withholding details of the arrest in statements and to a supervisor.
Police said Nichols was pulled over for reckless driving, though Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis said she has been unable to substantiate that.
While Nichols’ mother has said that first responders told her her son was drunk and high, the autopsy report shows that his blood alcohol level was .049, the DA’s office said. The district attorney’s office told the family that was “well less than the legal limit to drive.”
If convicted, two of the counts in the indictment carry a maximum penalty of life in prison, while the other two each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, according to the DOJ.
Martin pleaded guilty to excessive force and failure to intervene, as well as conspiracy to witness tamper, according to the court records. The other two charges will be dropped at sentencing, which has been scheduled for Dec. 5, according to the online records.
Mills pleaded guilty to two of the four counts in the indictment — excessive force and failing to intervene, as well as conspiring to cover up his use of unlawful force, according to the DOJ. The government said it will recommend a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, based on the terms of Mills’ plea agreement.
All five former officers also face state felony charges, including second-degree murder, aggravated assault and aggravated kidnapping, in connection with Nichols’ death. They pleaded not guilty.
(WINDER, Ga.) — Joshua Maloch thought his Georgia high school was holding an active shooter drill when an alarm went off Wednesday morning alerting a school lockdown.
“We all had to get into the corner of my class and duck down,” the 10th grader at Apalachee High School in Winder, told ABC News.
“I didn’t think it was real, because a lot of times I have drills,” he added.
It was when he heard multiple shots ring out that he said feared for his life and was scared his brother and sister might not make it out.
“Everybody was scared, and people were screaming, calling their moms, everything,” he said.
Two students and two teachers were killed and another nine victims were taken to hospitals with injuries in the shooting at Apalachee High School, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
The suspect — a 14-year-old male student at the high school — is in custody, authorities said.
Alexandra Romero, a sophomore at Apalachee High School, told ABC News that students in her classroom began hugging each other while covering during the shooting.
“I was scared. I had so much fear, like I’m still shaking, like I was so scared. I didn’t know my like feelings were so heightened. I cried too,” she said.
She said that after they were able to leave the classroom, she saw a teacher on the floor and “blood everywhere.”
“I’m definitely scared to go back. I talked with my parents and stuff. I don’t feel safe going back there for a while,” she said. “It’s hard to get out of my head, like seeing that body right there.”
Senior Sergio Caldera, 17, said he was in chemistry class when he heard gunshots.
“My teacher goes and opens the door to see what’s going on. Another teacher comes running in and tells her to close the door because there’s an active shooter,” Caldera told ABC News.
He said his teacher locked the door and the students ran to the back of the room. Caldera said they heard screams from outside as they “huddled up.”
At some point, Caldera said someone pounded on his classroom door and shouted “Open up!” multiple times. When the knocking stopped, Caldera said he heard more gunshots and screams.
He said his class later evacuated to the football field.
Kyson Stancion said he was in class when he heard gunshots and “heard police scream, telling somebody, ‘There’s a shooting going on, get down, get back in the classroom.'”
“I was scared because I’ve never been in a school shooting,” he told ABC News.
“Everybody was crying. My teacher tried to keep everybody safe,” he added.
Sherley Martinez, a 12th grader at the school, said she was in a classroom when she heard gunshots ring out.
“Kids started crying, everyone was freaking out,” she told ABC News.
She said she was scared but tried to comfort her classmates.
“I tried to keep everybody comfortable,” she said. “I was telling everybody, ‘It’s going to be OK.'”
“In our small town, we’d never really would expect anything like this to happen,” she added.
ABC News’ Faith Abubey and Miles Cohen contributed to this report.