CCTV shows cars driving across Tampa bridge as 130mph winds and dangerous waves from ‘unsurvivable’ 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.

The surge caused by the hurricane could rise as high as 20ft in some spots, Michael Brennan, director of the hurricane centre, said in a video briefing.

“A really unsurvivable scenario is going to play out” he claimed.

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.