"We’re probably going to lose a lot of lives," National Hurricane Center official says

 Hurricane Helene will likely be a “historic inland flooding event” – and a deadly one, Jamie Rhome, deputy director of the National Hurricane Center, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper Thursday.

“Historically speaking, 50% of lives lost are in a setup like this,” Rhome said, referring to flooding in inland areas. “We’re probably going to lose a lot of lives in this setup with this much flooding potential.”

Rhome added if “our worst-case scenario materializes,” some areas of Florida’s Big Bend will see a 15-foot storm surge.

“Unless people live in a two-story home, they can’t escape it vertically,” Rhome said. “If they try to leave a home in those conditions, the water is not just coming up gently, it’s coming up with great force, huge waves on them, there’s debris in the water, it’s just not a survivable situation.”

As the storm makes its way up to Georgia, residents there should be prepared to go long periods without power, he said. Heavily forested areas will likely see many trees downed and, in turn, widespread power outages.

“People have got to be ready to take care of themselves for several days without power,” Rhome said.