Hurricane Helene is set to hit the west coast of Florida on Thursday evening and the Chattanooga and tri-state area is set to receive heavy rain, as well as possible flooding and tornadoes as the storm progresses north.
Weather officials said Chattanooga is expecting heavy rains with 1-2 inches expected.
The area has been in a drought.
The governors of Georgia and North Carolina have declared a state of emergency because of the storm and Georgia Department of Natural Resources personnel are gearing up in preparation.
Due to expected severe weather, Georgia Northwestern Technical College will be closing on Thursday and will remain closed on Friday.
Cleveland City Schools After School Programs are cancelled Thursday,
In Atlanta, the State Operations Center was activated to ensure coordination of the response by state, local and federal agencies.
In south Georgia, DNR’s incident command post has started staging teams outfitted with heavy equipment, boats, chainsaws, and ATVs. These teams will respond as needed to clear roads, conduct water rescues, provide security and deliver critical supplies.
DNR will work closely with the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency and other state and local partners to ensure public safety. Given the potential for the size of the storm – Helene is forecast to make landfall in the Florida Panhandle Thursday as a major hurricane – a statewide response is expected.
DNR’s State Parks & Historic Sites Division is preparing to take in displaced people and pets, including horses. State Parks outside of the path of the storm are open and available to displaced citizens. State Parks is housing 15 evacuees. For current information on park availability, including equestrian facilities, visit gastateparks.org/Alerts or call 1-800-864-7275.
Beginning Wednesday, several DNR properties closed in anticipation of the storm. To see a current and full list of closures, visit the following websites: Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites: gastateparks.org/Alerts or 1-800-864-7275. Wildlife Resources Division: https://georgiawildlife.com/closures.
The Collegedale Police Department is also preparing and has taken measures to make sure that their disaster response tools are ready if needed.
In June of last year the police department announced that they had initiated a disaster response protocol that involved specialized vehicles and the necessary tools to assist officers in responding to and engaging in rescue operations.
At the time of this release Helene is a Category 1 hurricane, but is expected to become a life- threatening Category 3 by the time it reaches the Florida coast.
“Make sure your weather radios are working and that you have batteries and a safe light source available, should you lose power” warned Chief Sapp. “Listen to your local news stations or the National Weather Service for continued weather updates.”
The police department encourages Collegedale residents to make sure they have a safe place to go as the storms reach the area. The Collegedale Seventh-day Adventist Church, located at 4829 College Drive East, has asked citizens to watch their Facebook page over the next two days. If the need arises, the church has informed the police department that they will again open their doors as a shelter for those in need of a safe place during the storm.
“Of course we hope that the impact from this hurricane isn’t going to be too concerning, but we just won’t know until it gets here” said Chief Sapp. “Regardless, our officers will be ready to respond no matter what happens.”