Cars drive across Tampa bridge as huge waves and 130mph winds from Hurricane Helena crash onto road

Cars were seen driving across the Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa Bay on Thursday 26 September, as Hurricane Helene waves lashed the roadway.

Helene roared ashore Florida’s Big Bend region as one of the most powerful storms to hit the United States, with officials fearing the storm would leave a trail of deaths and widespread destruction as it moved inland.

At least one fatality is blamed on the hurricane so far, authorities said, as the Category 4 storm made landfall around 11:10pm Eastern time.

Even before its arrival, the storm had caused power outages for over 1 million people and severe flooding in several areas.