CRAWFORDVILLE, FL - More storm updates have come to light as Hurricane Helene reached Florida as a powerful Category 4 hurricane yesterday, sending a massive storm surge across the region and restricting power for millions of people across several states.

According to reports from AP News, the storm made landfall late Thursday in Florida’s sparsely populated Big Bend area, where the Panhandle and peninsula meet. As of this morning, it was reported that over 4 million homes and businesses were without power across Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the damage from Helene in the area appears to be greater than the combined damage of Idalia and Debby last August, according to the news source.

Prior to making landfall in the United States, Helene hit parts of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, flooding streets and toppling trees in Cancun before passing offshore. The storm also impacted western Cuba, where it knocked out power to more than 200,000 homes and businesses as it brushed past the island.

Helene is the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1.

With impacts of the storm currently being seen across multiple East Coast states, ANUK will continue to monitor its effect on growers and the overall produce supply chain.