Florida authorities are asking residents refusing to evacuate from the path of the deadly Hurricane Helene to ink personal information on their arms and legs in case their bodies need to be identified after the Category 4 storm passes.
“If you or someone you know chose not to evacuate, PLEASE write your, Name, birthday and important information on your arm or leg in A PERMANENT MARKER so that you can be identified and family notified,” the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office wrote on its Facebook page ahead of Helene’s landfall Thursday.
Taylor County sits square in the path of the storm’s projected landfall on Florida’s Big Bend, where the panhandle meets the peninsula.
The hurricane is due to land early Thursday night — bringing with it what experts have called a possibly “unsurvivable” storm surge of up to 20 feet.
Officials have ordered an evacuation of the region, yet some residents have resisted.
Trying to head off the almost inevitable casualties and rescue operations to come, Taylor County officials are asking potential victims of the storm to help them by sending police their basic information should they choose to say put.
“We ask that you kindly provide the following information so Search and Rescue teams can prioritize these locations: Is the residence inland or on the coastline? Full address of the residence.”
The sheriff’s office also asked for the number of people and animals present at the homes, their names, contact information, and “additional information, such as a recent photograph of the individual(s), disabilities, special requirements.”
After raging as a Category 3 storm throughout the afternoon, Helene began to maintain 130 mph winds over the evening and was elevated to a Category 4.
Shortly after, Gov. Ron DeSantis warned anybody who had not yet evacuated that they “still have time” to get out — but not for much longer.
“We can’t control how strong this hurricane’s going to get,” he said.
“We can’t control the track of the hurricane, but what you can control is what you can do to put yourself in the best chance to be able to ride this out in a way that’s going to be safe.”
The National Hurricane Center described the expected Big Bend storm surge as “catastrophic and deadly,” and other effects of the storm as “life-threatening.”
Hurricane Helene is one of the strongest storms recorded in the Gulf of Mexico’s history.
It has already drenched the Florida coastline and brought pre-emptive flooding to many areas, while the Yucatan Peninsula and Cuba were hammered as it passed through.
