Worst-case storm surge would push ocean 20 miles inland

 

Cars drive over the George G. Tapper Bridge ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Helene in Port Saint Joe, Florida, on September 26. 

Ricardo Arduengo/AFP/Getty Images

Officials are concerned Helene’s massive storm surge will reach far inland. Storm surge is caused by a hurricane’s strong, onshore winds that push ocean onto land.

“In Wakulla County, the models show us that 20 feet storm surge will push water 20 miles from the coast and possibly into south Leon County and into Tallahassee to the north,” Wakulla County Commissioner Ralph Thomas told CNN’s Anderson Cooper.

Wakulla County is south of Tallahassee.

Currently, the county is seeing water levels rise in the rivers and coastal areas. Some roads are already underwater, Thomas added.