Florida’s Big Bend Braces for Third Hurricane in a Year as Helene Gains Strength

Florida’s Big Bend region on the northern Gulf Coast is bracing for yet another hurricane, the third in the last 13 months.

Wind speeds for what could soon be Hurricane Helene are forecast to reach up to 115 mph, higher than Hurricane Debby, a Category 1 storm that made landfall in the area on Aug. 5, and approaching the winds of Hurricane Idalia, which struck the region in late August 2023.

If there’s a silver lining for insurers, it’s that the corner of the state is less populated than other parts of Florida, limiting claims to what could be a manageable number. The property insurers with the most residential policies in the area include the state-created Citizens Property Insurance Corp. and American Bankers Insurance Co. of Florida.

Both have several thousand policies in the low-lying region, according to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation’s quarterly reporting data.

Predictions from the National Hurricane Center indicated that tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico could strengthen into Category 3 Helene and could make landfall by Thursday afternoon, with perhaps Dixie, Levy and Citrus counties feeling the strongest winds and storm surge.

“Due to the forecast large size of this system, storm surge, wind, and rainfall impacts will extend well away from the center, particularly on the east side. In addition, the fast forward speed while it crosses the coast will likely result in farther inland penetration of strong winds over parts of the southeastern United States after landfall,” the NHC advisory warned.

The storm could likely mean more federal aid for residents in the Big Bend area, many of whom do not carry flood insurance. The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced last week that after Hurricane Idalia the National Flood Insurance Program paid out some $372 million on 5,200 claims from that storm.

Map graphic: National Weather Service