A residents tells the BBC her family had to swim out of home as floodwaters from Helene rose to their shoulders.

Hurricane Helene intensified into a major Category 3 hurricane on Thursday with 120 mph sustained winds, with the National Hurricane Center predicting it will grow further bringing devastation to Florida’s Gulf Coast and inland toward Tallahassee.

Storm surge is a bigger killer than wind when a major hurricane hits shore. The areas in the path of Hurricane Helene are more susceptible to surge than other parts of Florida's coast.

Hurricane Helene has made landfall into Florida's Big Bend region as a catastrophic storm, lashing the region with devastating wind and a "unsurvivable" storm surge. At least two deaths were directly connected to the hurricane in Georgia.

Long before its landfall late Thursday, Hurricane Helene and its intense wind and rain were already threatening millions of people in four states.

In a special update from the National Hurricane Center, Helene made landfall just east of the mouth of the Aucilla River. This is about 10 miles west-southwest of Perry, Florida. Based on data from Air Force reconnaissance aircraft, the maximum sustained winds are estimated to be 140 mph.

Florida residents are preparing for a heavy blow from Hurricane Helene as it moves toward Tallahassee, where it’s expected to make landfall Thursday night with winds reaching 140 mph and life-threatening storm surges.

The National Hurricane Center is tracking 5 systems, including Helene and Hurricane Isaac. One may become Tropical Storm Joyce later today.

Massive Hurricane Helene crashed into Florida’s sparsely populated Big Bend region, bringing storm surge and high winds across the state’s Gulf Coast communities before ripping into southern Georgia