Hurricane Helene is expected to maintain hurricane strength overnight when it reaches the Atlanta area. On Thursday morning, the storm was upgraded to a Category 2 storm as it moved across the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida, and it’s expected to be a wide Category 4 storm once it makes landfall in Florida as early as Thursday evening.
Right now, flash flood warnings have been extended up the coast into south-central Georgia. The governors of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas have all declared a state of emergency. Authorities expect widespread power outages, quick and intense wind and heavy rain. Multiple areas are under tornado warnings or watches.
Meanwhile, President Biden has approved Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s request for a Federal Emergency Declaration, which provides federal assistance for state and local response efforts. Georgia’s emergency management has activated hundreds of National Guard personnel ahead of the arrival of the storm, plus a staging area in Central Georgia to get resources where they’re needed quickly.
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