TAMPA, Fla.—Hurricane Hermine tore a path of destruction across Florida on Friday, Sept. 2, leaving more than 253,000 homes and businesses without power, flooding low-lying areas and raising concerns about the spread of the Zika virus due to the massive pools of standing water left behind.

The first hurricane to make landfall in Florida since Wilma more than a decade ago, Hermine came ashore early on Friday near St. Marks, Florida, 20 miles south of the capital of Tallahassee, packing winds of 80 mph and churning up a devastating storm surge in coastal areas.

It was set to snarl Labor Day holiday travel after battering Florida's $89-billion tourism industry.

The tempest headed toward the Atlantic seaboard on a path where tens of millions of Americans live, causing storm watches and warnings stretching to New Jersey, the National Hurricane Center said.

One homeless man was hit by a tree and died, Florida Governor Rick Scott said, but officials have not confirmed whether the death was storm-related.

"Now is the time to come together. There is a lot of work to do," Scott told a news conference, warning people to look out for downed power lines and avoid driving in pools of standing water.

Concerns over the standing water in which mosquitoes breed intensified as the state battles an outbreak of the Zika virus.

"... It is incredibly important that everyone does their part to combat the Zika virus by dumping standing water, no matter how small. Any amount of standing water can serve as a breeding ground for mosquitoes," Scott said.

According to the Florida Department of Health, there have been 47 cases of Zika in people believed to have contracted the virus through local mosquitoes. Active transmission is thought to be occurring only in two small areas around Miami.

As the sun rose on Friday morning on Hudson Beach, just north of Tampa, cars sat askew in the middle of flooded out roads. Palm fronds, tree branches and garbage cans were scattered about.

Overnight, Pasco County crews rescued more than a dozen people and brought them to shelters after their homes were flooded.

Richard Jewett, 68, was rescued from his home in nearby New Port Richey, around 12:30 a.m. CDT on Friday as emergency workers carried out a mandatory evacuation.

"The canal started creeping up toward the house and even though it wasn't high tide it looked like it was coming inside," he said.

A weakening Hermine moved across southern Georgia, blowing winds of 60 miles per hour at 7 a.m. CDT, according to the NHC. The tropical storm was expected to reach the coastal Carolinas later Friday, then move offshore from North Carolina on Saturday. Forecasters said it could strengthen over the sea.

In Cedar Key, an island community in northwest Florida, waters rose more than 9.5 feet, among the highest surges ever seen, the National Weather Service said.

Officials in the affected region on Friday warned that homes continued to be threatened by high water and implored people to avoid flooded roads.

"This is one of the worst that we have seen in the city in a long time, and unfortunately, it is not over yet," Mayor Rick Kriseman of St. Petersburg, Florida, told reporters.

On its current path, the storm could dump as much as 15 inches of rain on coastal Georgia, and the Carolinas. Forecasters warned of "life-threatening" floods and flash floods.

The governors of Georgia and North Carolina declared emergencies in affected regions.

As it moved north across Florida, the storm continued to whip up heavy rain. Trees blocked roads and bridges were shut to assess the damage caused by high waters, the Florida Department of Transportation said.</s>Residents of the Sandpiper Resort survey the rising water coming from the Gulf of Mexico into their neighborhood as winds and storm surge from Hurricane Hermine affect the area on Thursday, September 1, in Holmes Beach, Florida.

Workers install storm shutters on a storefront as they prepare for Hurricane Hermine on September 1.

A resident of the Sandpiper Resort in Holmes Beach, Florida, surveys the rising water coming from the Gulf of Mexico because of Hurricane Hermine.

Sgt. Andy Pace and Lt. Allen Ham with the Franklin County Sheriff's Department jump-start one of their vehicles as Hurricane Hermine approaches.

Traffic moves along US 98 as Hurricane Hermine approaches Eastpoint, Florida, on September 1.

Power crews with Pike Electric in South Carolina arrive in Carrabelle, Florida, on the Florida Gulf Coast as Hurricane Hermine approaches on September 1.

Sunken and beached boats line the shoreline in Eastpoint, Florida, as Hurricane Hermine approaches.</s>How to prepare for a hurricane</s>TAMPA, Fla. -- Winds from strengthening Hurricane Hermine lashed at Florida's northern Gulf Coast late on Thursday, forcing residents to evacuate some coastal areas and stock up on provisions ahead of what the state's governor warned would be a lethal storm.

Hermine, expected to be the first hurricane to make landfall in the state in more than a decade, also posed a Labor Day weekend threat to states along the northern Atlantic Coast that are home to tens of millions of people.

On Thursday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center extended a tropical storm watch to Sandy Hook, N.J.

Hermine became the fourth hurricane of the 2016 season around midafternoon when its sustained winds reached 75 mph. Located about 85 miles south of Apalachicola, Fla., late afternoon, it was expected to make landfall early on Friday.

Hermine could dump as much as 20 inches of rain in some parts of the state. Ocean storm surge could swell as high as 12 feet. Isolated tornadoes were forecast.

After battering coastal Florida, Hermine is expected to weaken and move across the northern part of the state into Georgia, then southern U.S. coastal regions on the Atlantic.

The governors of Georgia and North Carolina on Thursday declared emergencies in affected regions. In South Carolina, the low-lying coastal city of Charleston was handing out sandbags.

Florida Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency in 51 of Florida's 67 counties, and at least 20 counties closed schools. Mandatory evacuations were ordered in parts of five counties in northwestern Florida and voluntary evacuations were in place in at least three more counties.

"This is life threatening," Scott told reporters on Thursday afternoon. "You can rebuild a home. You can rebuild property. You cannot rebuild a life."

In coastal Franklin County, people on barrier islands and low-lying areas on the shore were being evacuated.

"Those on higher ground are stocking up and hunkering down," said Pamela Brownlee, the county's director of emergency management.

The last hurricane to make landfall in Florida was Wilma in 2005, the hurricane center said.

Towns, cities and counties were hastily preparing shelters for people and pets and placing electric line repair crews on standby ahead of the storm.

The storm was expected to affect many areas inland of the Gulf Coast. In Leon County, which includes the state capital of Tallahassee, more than 30,000 sandbags were distributed.

At Maximo Marina in St. Petersburg, Florida, dock master Joe Burgess watched anxiously as waters rose 6 inches over the dock at high tide on Thursday afternoon, before slowly receding.

"If we get hit with a real storm head on, all the provisions you can make aren't going to matter out here," he said, ready to use a chainsaw to cut beams on covered slips if rising water pushed boats dangerously close to the roof. "It'd be pretty catastrophic."

On its current path, the storm also could dump as much as 10 inches of rain on coastal areas of Georgia, which was under a tropical storm watch, and the Carolinas. Forecasters warned of "life-threatening" floods and flash floods there.

Still, many people in Florida, whose population has swelled since the last hurricane struck, saw Hermine less as a threat than entertainment.

Manatees on the Bay, a restaurant and bar on the waterfront in the Tampa Bay region, was offering storm drink specials including beer and shots.

"We thought about doing a hurricane," said owner Perry Murphree, referring to the name of a popular sweet cocktail. "But I don't want to tempt fate."</s>TAMPA, Fla -- Winds from strengthening Hurricane Hermine lashed at Florida's northern Gulf Coast late on Thursday, forcing residents to evacuate some coastal areas and stock up on provisions ahead of what the state's governor warned would be a lethal storm.

Hermine, expected to be the first hurricane to make landfall in the state in more than a decade, also posed a Labor Day weekend threat to states along the northern Atlantic Coast that are home to tens of millions of people.

On Thursday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center extended a tropical storm watch to Sandy Hook, N.J.

Hermine became the fourth hurricane of the 2016 season around midafternoon when its sustained winds reached 75 mph. Located about 85 miles south of Apalachicola, Fla., late afternoon, it was expected to make landfall early on Friday.

Hermine could dump as much as 20 inches of rain in some parts of the state. Ocean storm surge could swell as high as 12 feet. Isolated tornadoes were forecast.

After battering coastal Florida, Hermine is expected to weaken and move across the northern part of the state into Georgia, then southern U.S. coastal regions on the Atlantic.

The governors of Georgia and North Carolina on Thursday declared emergencies in affected regions. In South Carolina, the low-lying coastal city of Charleston was handing out sandbags.

Florida Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency in 51 of Florida's 67 counties, and at least 20 counties closed schools. Mandatory evacuations were ordered in parts of five counties in northwestern Florida and voluntary evacuations were in place in at least three more counties.

"This is life threatening," Scott told reporters on Thursday afternoon. "You can rebuild a home. You can rebuild property. You cannot rebuild a life."

In coastal Franklin County, people on barrier islands and low-lying areas on the shore were being evacuated.

"Those on higher ground are stocking up and hunkering down," said Pamela Brownlee, the county's director of emergency management.

The last hurricane to make landfall in Florida was Wilma in 2005, the hurricane center said.

Towns, cities and counties were hastily preparing shelters for people and pets and placing electric line repair crews on standby ahead of the storm.

The storm was expected to affect many areas inland of the Gulf Coast. In Leon County, which includes the state capital of Tallahassee, more than 30,000 sandbags were distributed.

At Maximo Marina in St. Petersburg, Florida, dock master Joe Burgess watched anxiously as waters rose 6 inches over the dock at high tide on Thursday afternoon, before slowly receding.

"If we get hit with a real storm head on, all the provisions you can make aren't going to matter out here," he said, ready to use a chainsaw to cut beams on covered slips if rising water pushed boats dangerously close to the roof. "It'd be pretty catastrophic."

On its current path, the storm also could dump as much as 10 inches of rain on coastal areas of Georgia, which was under a tropical storm watch, and the Carolinas. Forecasters warned of "life-threatening" floods and flash floods there.

Still, many people in Florida, whose population has swelled since the last hurricane struck, saw Hermine less as a threat than entertainment.

Manatees on the Bay, a restaurant and bar on the waterfront in the Tampa Bay region, was offering storm drink specials including beer and shots.

"We thought about doing a hurricane," said owner Perry Murphree, referring to the name of a popular sweet cocktail. "But I don't want to tempt fate."</s>A restaurant in Tallahassee, Florida, has been using Hurricane Hermine to try and attract new customers.

The Cuban eatery put a sign outside their restaurant yesterday advising passers-by to come inside and get drunk as the impending storm loomed.

The message read: 'Come and get smashed B4 your house does.'

A Reddit user by the name of IamLasagna who spotted the lettering shared a picture online with the caption: 'Gordo's back at it again in Tallahassee with a solid Hurricane Prep Tip.'

It isn't the first time that Gordos has made a name for itself over its use of words.

The word Gordo is actually Spanish and translates as fat.

The 'life-threatening' hurricane Hermine is Florida's first for 11 years.

It made landfall shortly after 1.30am as it careered past St Marks, south east of Tallahassee.

The huge storm - which has knocked out power for more than 132,000 people - is then expected to push further into Georgia, the Carolinas and up the East Coast as a tropical storm, with the potential for heavy rain and flooding.

Some parts of eastern Florida could be hit with 20 inches of rain in the next 24 hours and dozens of towns in Hermine's path have been evacuated.</s>Hurricane Hermine made landfall in Florida's Big Bend area early on Friday - the first hurricane to hit the state in more than a decade.

The Category 1 storm hit just east of St Marks at about 1.30am EDT(0530 GMT) with winds of around 80mph (129kph), according to the US National Hurricane Centre.

Projected storm surges of up to 12ft (3.7m) threatened a wide swathe of the coast and an expected drenching of up to 10in (25.4cm) of rain carried the danger of flooding along the storm's path over land, including the state capital, Tallahassee, which had not been hit by a hurricane since Kate in 1985.

As of 2am EDT (0600 GMT) on Friday, Hermine was centred about 35 miles (56km) south-east of Tallahassee, and was moving north-northeast. It was expected to drop back down to a tropical storm before pushing into Georgia, the Carolinas and up the East Coast with the potential for heavy rain and deadly flooding.

The last hurricane to strike Florida was Wilma, a powerful Category 3 storm which arrived on October 24 2005. It swept across the Everglades and struck heavily populated south Florida, causing five deaths in the state and an estimated 23 billion US dollars of damage.

Many took no chances with Hermine.

Tallahassee resident Tom Duffy, 70, said on Thursday that he planned to reserve a hotel room for Friday night in the neighbouring state of Alabama if downed trees caused the kind of power cuts he expected. Even before the storm's final approach to land, the city government tweeted that there were already some 32,000 outages reported around the capital city.

"We've dodged bullet after bullet after bullet," Mr Duffy said, but added that Hermine has taken "dead aim" at the city, where blustery winds sent trees swaying before dawn.

In Carrabelle, on the coast just 60 miles (97km) south-west of Tallahassee, Courtney Chason was keeping an eye on the storm surge as docks and boat houses were slowly being battered as the storm approached late on Thursday.

"I've never seen it this high, it's pretty damn crazy. I've been in this area for 30 years but I've never seen it like this. I hope it doesn't get any higher, we need lots of prayers."

Residents on some islands and other low-lying, flood-prone areas in Florida had been urged to clear out. Flooding was expected across a wide swathe of the marshy coastline of the Big Bend - the mostly rural and lightly populated corner where the Florida peninsula meets the Panhandle.

Florida Governor Rick Scott warned of the danger of strong storm surges, high winds, downed trees and power outages, and urged people to move to inland shelters if necessary and make sure they have enough food, water and medicine.

"You can rebuild a home, you can rebuild property, you cannot rebuild a life," he said at a news conference on Thursday afternoon, adding that "we are going to see a lot of flooding".

Mr Scott, who declared an emergency in 51 counties, said 6,000 National Guardsmen were poised to mobilise for the storm's aftermath. The governors of Georgia and North Carolina also declared states of emergency.

Across the Florida line in south Georgia, about a dozen people had already arrived by Thursday evening at a Red Cross shelter that opened at a city auditorium in Valdosta which is normally used for banquets and gospel concerts.

Cynthia Arnold left her mobile home for the shelter with her brother and her five-year-old grandson, saying: "I'm not just going to sit there and be ignorant."

Rainfall of 4in (10cm) to 10in (25.4cm) were possible along the coasts of Georgia and the Carolinas by Sunday. Lesser amounts were forecast farther up the Atlantic Coast, because the storm was expected to veer out to sea.</s>TAMPA, Fla.—Hurricane Hermine tore a path of destruction across Florida on Friday, Sept. 2, leaving more than 253,000 homes and businesses without power, flooding low-lying areas and raising concerns about the spread of the Zika virus due to the massive pools of standing water left behind.

The first hurricane to make landfall in Florida since Wilma more than a decade ago, Hermine came ashore early on Friday near St. Marks, Florida, 20 miles south of the capital of Tallahassee, packing winds of 80 mph and churning up a devastating storm surge in coastal areas.

It was set to snarl Labor Day holiday travel after battering Florida's $89-billion tourism industry.

The tempest headed toward the Atlantic seaboard on a path where tens of millions of Americans live, causing storm watches and warnings stretching to New Jersey, the National Hurricane Center said.

One homeless man was hit by a tree and died, Florida Governor Rick Scott said, but officials have not confirmed whether the death was storm-related.

"Now is the time to come together. There is a lot of work to do," Scott told a news conference, warning people to look out for downed power lines and avoid driving in pools of standing water.

Concerns over the standing water in which mosquitoes breed intensified as the state battles an outbreak of the Zika virus.

"... It is incredibly important that everyone does their part to combat the Zika virus by dumping standing water, no matter how small. Any amount of standing water can serve as a breeding ground for mosquitoes," Scott said.

According to the Florida Department of Health, there have been 47 cases of Zika in people believed to have contracted the virus through local mosquitoes. Active transmission is thought to be occurring only in two small areas around Miami.

As the sun rose on Friday morning on Hudson Beach, just north of Tampa, cars sat askew in the middle of flooded out roads. Palm fronds, tree branches and garbage cans were scattered about.

Overnight, Pasco County crews rescued more than a dozen people and brought them to shelters after their homes were flooded.

Richard Jewett, 68, was rescued from his home in nearby New Port Richey, around 12:30 a.m. CDT on Friday as emergency workers carried out a mandatory evacuation.

"The canal started creeping up toward the house and even though it wasn't high tide it looked like it was coming inside," he said.

A weakening Hermine moved across southern Georgia, blowing winds of 60 miles per hour at 7 a.m. CDT, according to the NHC. The tropical storm was expected to reach the coastal Carolinas later Friday, then move offshore from North Carolina on Saturday. Forecasters said it could strengthen over the sea.

In Cedar Key, an island community in northwest Florida, waters rose more than 9.5 feet, among the highest surges ever seen, the National Weather Service said.

Officials in the affected region on Friday warned that homes continued to be threatened by high water and implored people to avoid flooded roads.

"This is one of the worst that we have seen in the city in a long time, and unfortunately, it is not over yet," Mayor Rick Kriseman of St. Petersburg, Florida, told reporters.

On its current path, the storm could dump as much as 15 inches of rain on coastal Georgia, and the Carolinas. Forecasters warned of "life-threatening" floods and flash floods.

The governors of Georgia and North Carolina declared emergencies in affected regions.

As it moved north across Florida, the storm continued to whip up heavy rain. Trees blocked roads and bridges were shut to assess the damage caused by high waters, the Florida Department of Transportation said.</s>TAMPA, Fla.—Hurricane Hermine tore a path of destruction across Florida on Friday, Sept. 2, leaving more than 253,000 homes and businesses without power, flooding low-lying areas and raising concerns about the spread of the Zika virus due to the massive pools of standing water left behind.

The first hurricane to make landfall in Florida since Wilma more than a decade ago, Hermine came ashore early on Friday near St. Marks, Florida, 20 miles south of the capital of Tallahassee, packing winds of 80 mph and churning up a devastating storm surge in coastal areas.

It was set to snarl Labor Day holiday travel after battering Florida's $89-billion tourism industry.

The tempest headed toward the Atlantic seaboard on a path where tens of millions of Americans live, causing storm watches and warnings stretching to New Jersey, the National Hurricane Center said.

One homeless man was hit by a tree and died, Florida Governor Rick Scott said, but officials have not confirmed whether the death was storm-related.

"Now is the time to come together. There is a lot of work to do," Scott told a news conference, warning people to look out for downed power lines and avoid driving in pools of standing water.

Concerns over the standing water in which mosquitoes breed intensified as the state battles an outbreak of the Zika virus.

"... It is incredibly important that everyone does their part to combat the Zika virus by dumping standing water, no matter how small. Any amount of standing water can serve as a breeding ground for mosquitoes," Scott said.

According to the Florida Department of Health, there have been 47 cases of Zika in people believed to have contracted the virus through local mosquitoes. Active transmission is thought to be occurring only in two small areas around Miami.

As the sun rose on Friday morning on Hudson Beach, just north of Tampa, cars sat askew in the middle of flooded out roads. Palm fronds, tree branches and garbage cans were scattered about.

Overnight, Pasco County crews rescued more than a dozen people and brought them to shelters after their homes were flooded.

Richard Jewett, 68, was rescued from his home in nearby New Port Richey, around 12:30 a.m. CDT on Friday as emergency workers carried out a mandatory evacuation.

"The canal started creeping up toward the house and even though it wasn't high tide it looked like it was coming inside," he said.

A weakening Hermine moved across southern Georgia, blowing winds of 60 miles per hour at 7 a.m. CDT, according to the NHC. The tropical storm was expected to reach the coastal Carolinas later Friday, then move offshore from North Carolina on Saturday. Forecasters said it could strengthen over the sea.

In Cedar Key, an island community in northwest Florida, waters rose more than 9.5 feet, among the highest surges ever seen, the National Weather Service said.

Officials in the affected region on Friday warned that homes continued to be threatened by high water and implored people to avoid flooded roads.

"This is one of the worst that we have seen in the city in a long time, and unfortunately, it is not over yet," Mayor Rick Kriseman of St. Petersburg, Florida, told reporters.

On its current path, the storm could dump as much as 15 inches of rain on coastal Georgia, and the Carolinas. Forecasters warned of "life-threatening" floods and flash floods.

The governors of Georgia and North Carolina declared emergencies in affected regions.

As it moved north across Florida, the storm continued to whip up heavy rain. Trees blocked roads and bridges were shut to assess the damage caused by high waters, the Florida Department of Transportation said.</s>TAMPA, Fla -- Winds from strengthening Hurricane Hermine lashed at Florida's northern Gulf Coast late on Thursday, forcing residents to evacuate some coastal areas and stock up on provisions ahead of what the state's governor warned would be a lethal storm.

Hermine, expected to be the first hurricane to make landfall in the state in more than a decade, also posed a Labor Day weekend threat to states along the northern Atlantic Coast that are home to tens of millions of people.

On Thursday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center extended a tropical storm watch to Sandy Hook, N.J.

Hermine became the fourth hurricane of the 2016 season around midafternoon when its sustained winds reached 75 mph. Located about 85 miles south of Apalachicola, Fla., late afternoon, it was expected to make landfall early on Friday.

Hermine could dump as much as 20 inches of rain in some parts of the state. Ocean storm surge could swell as high as 12 feet. Isolated tornadoes were forecast.

After battering coastal Florida, Hermine is expected to weaken and move across the northern part of the state into Georgia, then southern U.S. coastal regions on the Atlantic.

The governors of Georgia and North Carolina on Thursday declared emergencies in affected regions. In South Carolina, the low-lying coastal city of Charleston was handing out sandbags.

Florida Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency in 51 of Florida's 67 counties, and at least 20 counties closed schools. Mandatory evacuations were ordered in parts of five counties in northwestern Florida and voluntary evacuations were in place in at least three more counties.

"This is life threatening," Scott told reporters on Thursday afternoon. "You can rebuild a home. You can rebuild property. You cannot rebuild a life."

In coastal Franklin County, people on barrier islands and low-lying areas on the shore were being evacuated.

"Those on higher ground are stocking up and hunkering down," said Pamela Brownlee, the county's director of emergency management.

The last hurricane to make landfall in Florida was Wilma in 2005, the hurricane center said.

Towns, cities and counties were hastily preparing shelters for people and pets and placing electric line repair crews on standby ahead of the storm.

The storm was expected to affect many areas inland of the Gulf Coast. In Leon County, which includes the state capital of Tallahassee, more than 30,000 sandbags were distributed.

At Maximo Marina in St. Petersburg, Florida, dock master Joe Burgess watched anxiously as waters rose 6 inches over the dock at high tide on Thursday afternoon, before slowly receding.

"If we get hit with a real storm head on, all the provisions you can make aren't going to matter out here," he said, ready to use a chainsaw to cut beams on covered slips if rising water pushed boats dangerously close to the roof. "It'd be pretty catastrophic."

On its current path, the storm also could dump as much as 10 inches of rain on coastal areas of Georgia, which was under a tropical storm watch, and the Carolinas. Forecasters warned of "life-threatening" floods and flash floods there.

Still, many people in Florida, whose population has swelled since the last hurricane struck, saw Hermine less as a threat than entertainment.

Manatees on the Bay, a restaurant and bar on the waterfront in the Tampa Bay region, was offering storm drink specials including beer and shots.

"We thought about doing a hurricane," said owner Perry Murphree, referring to the name of a popular sweet cocktail. "But I don't want to tempt fate."
Residents of the American state of Florida prepare for the impact of Hurricane Hermine which is expected to make landfall today. A state of emergency has been declared in 51 of the 67 counties in the state.