Tropical Storm Helene formed in the Caribbean and is expected to become at least a Category 3 hurricane with winds of at least 111 mph before making landfall in Florida Thursday evening. The storm will not be as intense as it moves through Georgia, but the Peach State is expected to get severe weather including heavy rain and potentially damaging winds, according to the National Weather Service.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with those along the coast," Stallings said. "We want to keep them in mind. And if any of them are evacuating north, they're certainly welcome into Georgia."
This storm is expected to impact every county in Georgia, Stallings said in Tuesday's press conference, and GEMA is working with local governments to ensure resources are available where needed.
"We have pre-positioned response teams and equipment to quickly address emergencies as they arise," Stallings said.
The state of emergency for all counties ensures that state resources are available to all local governments and entities within the storm's impacted areas, he said.
Kemp's executive order allows commercial motor vehicles that are responding to the hurricane to bypass weight and inspection centers to quickly transport supplies and authorizes GEMA to call up to 500 members of the National Guard to respond to the emergency.
GEMA's logistical team is fueling the state's fleet of generators and beginning to fill resource requests to counties as they come in, Stallings said.
The Georgia Department of Public Safety is working with local law enforcement, GEMA, the Georgia Department of Transportation and other agencies to coordinate monitoring roads for debris, flooding and other hazards.
"Currently, you'll see troopers out engaged in clearing interstates and major roadways for abandoned vehicles to ensure those evacuating areas can do so safely," Stallings said.
Expected storm impacts across Georgia
Heavy rainfall will begin in Georgia as soon as Wednesday night into Thursday morning, Stallings said. But the heaviest rain will spread across the state throughout the day on Thursday. GEMA expects southern Georgia to be most impacted by rain and strong winds.
Tropical Storm Helene will be different than what the state experienced with the recent Hurricane Debby, Stallings said.
"Debby was a very slow heavy rain event," he said. "This is going to be a fast-moving wind event with rain. And so we anticipate a very different response."
Impacts of the storm across central and north Georgia are expected to begin Friday morning and clear out by that afternoon, Stallings said.
"We're looking at hurricane-force winds within a 50-mile radius of I-75 south of Macon," he said. "And then tropical storm force winds, possibly, statewide."
GEMA anticipates widespread power outages from down trees and power lines throughout the state. An estimated 4 to 8 inches of rainfall is expected statewide, Stallings said, with more rainfall possible in the North Georgia Mountains. This could lead to flash flooding, he said.
Tornadoes are anticipated in the eastern part of Georgia, he said, but they can occur anywhere that the storm passes. There's not likely to be a storm surge, Stallings said, but flooding levels similar to Hurricane Irma in 2017 could occur.
"This is going to be a significant wind event," Stallings said. "The wind field is expected to be quite large."
Tropical Storm Helene's wind field is forecasted to stretch over 300 miles wide, he said, with tropical storm-force winds extending to over 100 miles from the center of the track.
How residents can prepare
Georgia residents should begin reviewing their emergency preparation kits, Stallings said. This includes having an emergency plan and securing homes against wind and water.
"The old saying in emergency response is you run from water, you hide from wind," he said.
People should board their windows and prepare their homes for debris flying. Emergency kits should allow people to be safe for up to 72 hours.
"Most of our storms we have generalized locations where we can bring in resources within the state," Stallings said. "Unfortunately, because this is a statewide event, we fully anticipate that our resources are going to be scattered throughout the state."
GEMA has begun reaching out through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact to bring in partners and resources from other states, Stallings said.
"It is extremely important that you realize this takes time though," he said. "So, if you lose your power or water goes out, it's not going to be a quick turnaround because we're having outages statewide."
Residents should charge mobile devices and have a backup power source ready. Officials also advise against non-essential travel as the storm approaches.
"Please stay indoors during these high winds and keep away from windows and doors," Stallings said.
It's also important for residents to turn on their weather alerts, he said. These should on multiple devices with at least one audible alert to ensure people wake up if something occurs in the middle of the night.
In the meantime, GEMA is preparing to issue any orders and deploy resources across the state and to other neighboring states, if needed.
"Florida is going to get hit hard," Stallings said. "Our friends west into Alabama are going to receive a lot of damage, and this thing's going to continue north into Tennessee."
©2024 the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (Columbus, Ga.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
