The effects of Hurricane Helene in the Southeastern US and resources for planners.

Late Thursday night, Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane. It continues to move northward and is expected to stall over the Tennessee Valley through the weekend and continue to weaken, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

Prior to its landfall in Florida, Hurricane Helene became a tropical storm in the western Caribbean Sea on Tuesday and caused flooding in the Cayman Islands and heavy rainfall over western Cuba and the northeast Yucatán Peninsula.

As of Friday morning, over 4 million homes and businesses are without power in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. Large regions of the southeast, including Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, are experiencing widespread power outages and flooding.

Friday morning, President Biden approved emergency declaration requests from the governors of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina, who will receive a variety of federal assistance.

Following the Storm

Here’s what you need to know about the effects of Hurricane Helene in the affected regions.

Florida

Hurricane Helene caused major damage upon its landfall in Florida with maximum sustained winds of 140 miles per hour, leaving residents in Taylor and Madison counties without power within an hour and a half of its arrival, according to a USA TODAY power outage tracker.

Multiple counties throughout Florida, including Charlotte, Gadsden, Hillsborough, Sarasota and more, reported extensive damage, with downed power lines and severe flooding. According to CNN Weather, it was the strongest hurricane on record that Florida’s Big Bend region has faced.

Airports in Florida, including those in the cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg, Lakeland and Tallahassee, closed and are expected to reopen later on Friday, Sept. 27. Orlando International Airport saw 77 flight cancellations as of Friday morning, according to FlightAware.

A warning of storm surges—the level at which sea water rises above its normal level—up to 10 feet remains in place across Florida’s west coast, from Tampa Bay to Indian Pass.

Georgia and North Carolina

Hurricane Helene next moved into Georgia as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 80 miles per hour as of 3 a.m. ET. The National Weather Service in Tallahassee stated that it expects the storm to weaken further as it moves inland, but forecasters have also warned that strong and damaging winds will continue as it moves in this direction.

Airports in Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina saw large numbers of flight cancellations and delays. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport saw over 130 cancellations and 180 delays.

A flash flood emergency is in effect for Atlanta as well as other areas of Georgia. The catastrophic flooding has led to evacuations and rescues by emergency officials. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp reported that there have been at least 11 deaths throughout the state and has issued a state of emergency and authorized 1,000 Georgia Guardsmen to help with recovery efforts and cleaning of debris.

As of 11am ET on Friday morning, the storm was about 30 miles southwest of Bryson City, North Carolina and maximum sustained winds stood at about 45 miles per hour. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper stated that Helene “is one of the worst storms in modern history.”

Tennessee and Kentucky

Forecasters expect Hurricane Helene to turn in the northwest direction and begin to slow and weaken further over Tennessee Valley throughout the weekend. Flash flood warnings remain in effect across eastern Tennessee and Kentucky.

Your Top Resources

If you have meetings or events booked in these regions, rely on your contacts at the hotel, venue or destination. Smart Meetings offers resources on contingency planning to ensure safe and successful events in the face of unprecedented scenarios such as storms like Hurricane Helene and a range of other barriers that could cause event disruptions.

Read More:

advertisement