More than 500,000 customers without power in Florida
Hurricane Helene hadn’t made landfall yet but more than 500,000 customers in Florida were without power Thursday night.
At 8:30 p.m., the website PowerOutage.us showed 501,580 customers in the state had lost electricity.
Pinellas County had the highest number of outages with more than 143,000 customers in the dark, followed by 63,360 in Hillsborough County.
Most of the outages were along the gulf coast near southwest Florida or Tampa Bay — far from Helene’s expected landfall in the panhandle.
In Central Florida, there were 2,200 outages in Lake County, and 9,600 in Polk County.
Sentinel staff
Orlando airports not closing during Hurricane Helene
Orlando International and Orlando Executive airports said Thursday afternoon they will remain open while Hurricane Helene makes its way into the Big Bend area of the Florida peninsula.
While the airport remains operational, there are a number of airlines that have made a corporate decision to cancel some flights for the day. The latest information available shows there have been a total of 65 cancellations at MCO, 31 arrivals and 34 departures, as of 4:30 p.m.
Passengers affected by the cancellations are advised to contact their airlines directly for additional flight information.
In anticipation of the storm, MCO had lowered water levels in area ponds and lakes, removed portable signage that could be moved by the winds, reviewed emergency plans, and ensured that all emergency generators were working properly.
Sentinel staff
Volusia County suspends beach driving, closes coastal parks
Volusia County said Thursday afternoon that it has suspended beach driving and closed beach restrooms and showers and coastal and inlet parks for the remainder of the day due to Hurricane Helene’s incoming effects. Following safety assessments, the County will begin to reopen these facilities Friday after they are deemed safe.
“Volusia County Beach Safety is displaying red flags to signal severe conditions and anticipates these warnings will continue over the next few days,” the county said in a news release. “As the storm progresses, escalating marine hazards, including rip currents, higher-than-average tides, and large waves, will pose significant risks to beachgoers. Officials urge residents and visitors to stay out of the ocean until conditions improve.”
Sentinel staff
Dr. Phillips Center cancels performances, classes
The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts has canceled its scheduled evening performances tonight, Sept. 26.
Ticket holders for “Girl from the North Country,” a touring Broadway musical, should contact the box office at 407-358-6603 about exchanging their tickets for another night. The show is scheduled to play in the arts center’s Walt Disney Theater through Sunday. A talkback with cast members that had been planned for Thursday night will now take place following Friday’s show.
Singer Sean Holcomb, who was the scheduled performer at the center’s Judson’s Live venue, will now perform at 7 p.m. Dec. 17.
The Second City comedy troupe’s 65th-anniversary show, which was scheduled in the Pugh Theater, will still have performances Sept. 27-29.
In addition, the arts center canceled all its classes on Thursday. For questions about classes, email classes@drphillipscenter.org.
For general information, go to drphillipscenter.org.
Matthew J. Palm
Solid waste pickup suspended in Orlando
Garbage, yard waste and recycling pick-up is ending at 2 p.m. Thursday for Orlando residents ahead of stronger winds expected to arrive later in the day.
Crews aim to begin pick-up again Friday when conditions improve.
If your yard waste wasn’t collected – or if today is not your usual yard waste day – city officials urge you to bring your items away from the curb and secure them near your home so as not to block storm drains.
Ryan Gillespie
Orlando International Airport fully operational with only a few canceled or delayed flights
Orlando International and Orlando Executive airports are both fully operational with only a few flight cancellations, officials said Thursday. Travelers are urged to check with their airlines to find information about delays or cancellations.
Crews with the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority this week secured outdoor equipment, lowered water levels in ponds on airport properties, ensured emergency generators are working properly and pruned trees, according to Angela Starke, senior vice president of public affairs.
The Aviation Authority has activated the hurricane emergency response plan in case Hurricane Helene brings more severe weather than expected.
As of 1:30 pm, sustained winds at the Orlando International Airport were reported at just under 12 mph.
Martin E. Comas
Osceola residents shop ahead of worst from Helene
Frank Warren, 72, was steering his motorized wheelchair Thursday morning out of a St. Cloud Publix on the corner of E. Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway — his basket full of cereal boxes and water bottles.
Warren is just one of hundreds of Osceola County residents flocking to supermarkets ahead of Hurricane Helene, which has already triggered tornado watches across the region. Cars lined the grocery store parking lot waiting to find a spot.
But Warren said he isn’t worried about Helene’s impact on his St. Cloud duplex, he’s more concerned about his 3,000-square-foot home in Tallahassee — where the storm’s expected to make landfall.
“My fiancé and I drove down yesterday to get back to my house here in St. Cloud,” he said. “We did more prep there than we did here.
“We got it all buttoned up and picked up the patio furniture and bird feeders that kind of stuff.”
Warren said his biggest fear is not being able to reenter the Tallahassee home that he’s owned for 42 years because of fallen debris from the canopy of trees lining his driveway.
“The trees have been growing for over 100 years and when we get regular rainstorms there will be branches everywhere,” he said. “This is going to be incredible — so it might be a week before we can get back into the house. It’s going to be a very dangerous storm.”
Osceola residents prepared for the storm and filled 16,000 sandbags over two days at Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee spokeswoman Alibeth Suarez said by email.
Residents filled 8,000 bags Tuesday and another 8,000 on Wednesday as part of the join operation between the county and cities ahead of the storm.
Natalia Jaramillo
Disney is extending hours Thursday at Magic Kingdom
While government offices, schools and businesses across Central Florida close their doors and hunker down Thursday, Disney is offering extended hours at the Magic Kingdom.
The park was scheduled to close at 6 pm, but Disney announced it is extending operating hours until 8 pm “for guests to enjoy more time in the park.”
Disney will close Typhoon Lagoon water park for the day, and has canceled Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.
Universal is similarly closing its Volcano Bay water park and is cancelling Halloween Horror Nights, but Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure will remain open as scheduled.
You can find the latest information about temporary closures and impacts for Disney World here and Universal Studios here.
State parks closed for storm
Hurricane Helene has disrupted operations at Florida State Parks locally.
Central Florida parks including Blue Spring, Wekiwa Springs, Rock Springs Run Reserve, Hontoon Island, Lake Louisa and Lake Griffin are closed until further notice. Guests with scheduled overnight accommodations will receive an email from the reservation team so they can make alternate arrangements or request refunds.
Parks and accommodations will reopen “as soon as conditions allow.”
Visitfloridastateparks.org/StormUpdatesfor updates and information.
Evacuation orders issued for 25 counties
Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for 17 Florida counties, and voluntary evacuation orders in another eight. In general the orders come in areas along the Gulf, and apply to coastal zones, senior facilities and mobile homes.
Residents in need of assistance finding or going to a shelter in the Big Bend region for Hurricane Helene can call (800) 729-3413. Florida Department of Emergency Management team members will be conducting callbacks from messages received last night, as well as accepting new calls today, to facilitate shelter coordination.
Sentinel staff
Will Helene grow to a Category 4? AccuWeather says yes.
AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter predicts Helene will strengthen to a Category 4 hurricane before making landfall along the Florida Gulf coast with maximum sustained winds of 130-156 miles per hour.
“The impacts from Helene will be widespread – not just confined to locations near landfall in the Florida Panhandle. The storm surge will be life-threatening across the Florida Panhandle and southward to near Tampa. Destructive wind gusts could badly damage or even destroy homes and businesses. Countless trees will likely come down in this storm not just across the Florida Panhandle but also inland through Georgia and even into western South and North Carolina leading to extended power outages,” Porter warned.
Sentinel staff
UCF halting campus operations Thursday
UCF will suspend campus operations and all classes, including online classes, on Thursday.
Operations are planned to resume at 6 a.m. Friday. A statement from the university stressed they are not depopulating campus, and campus housing for students will remain open. More information is available here.
Sentinel staff
Arts & cultural closings
Several cultural institutions have announced closings in light of the expected stormy weather from Hurricane Helene.
UCF has canceled multiple arts events, including an on-campus Thursday recital by pianist Hsiang Tu and Thursday’s performance of “The Clean House.” The recital will be rescheduled for a later date. Ticket holders to “The Clean House” should contact the box office for a refund. In addition, Thursday’s UCF Symphony Orchestra concert at Dr. Phillips High School has been postponed, and the UCF Art Gallery will be closed.
Theater West End in Sanford has canceled its Thursday performance of “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill.” Ticket holders will receive further information via email. More information: theaterwestend.com.
The Sonnentag Theatre at the IceHouse in Mount Dora has canceled its Thursday performance of “The Odd Couple.” Box-office staff will contact ticket holders and help them choose a new date to attend. More information: icehousetheatre.com.
Winter Park Playhouse’s 2 p.m. Thursday performance of “Snapshots” has been canceled, and ticket holders will be automatically reassigned to an added performance on Oct. 2. For questions, call the theater at 407-645-0145.
The Charles M. Hosmer Museum of American Art in Winter Park closed at noon Wednesday and will remain closed until the storm passes. More information: morsemuseum.org.
All branches and book drops of the Orange County Library System will be closed Thursday, but are expected to reopen Friday. More information: ocls.info.
Matthew J. Palm
Orlando closing offices in advance of Hurricane Helene
Orlando said it is closing non-essential city offices and services, including City Hall, on Thursday because of Hurricane Helene.
Also closing will be all City of Orlando Neighborhood Centers and pools as well as Harry P. Leu Gardens.
The city’s after school program will continue to operate for young residents that are currently enrolled until 6 p.m. Wednesday at those sites. After School Program sites will remain open on a limited basis for currently enrolled students until noon on Thursday.
Sentinel staff
Universal closing Volcano Bay on Thursday
Universal Orlando announced at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday that it would shut down its water park Volcano Bay on Thursday.
“The rest of our resort including our hotels remain operational as we continue to monitor conditions. We anticipate reopening Volcano Bay at its normal hours on Friday, September 27,” the resort posted on its website.
Richard Tribou
Prepping for flooding in Seminole County
Shantell Pettway knows Hurricane Helene will bring wind and likely up to 6 inches of rain through Thursday to Central Florida, as the National Weather Service forecasts.
But she doesn’t expect her yard and the street in front of her home in Altamonte Springs to flood, as in 2022 during Hurricane Ian and in 2016 during Hurricane Irma, which deluged the area with more than a foot of rain.
Even so, she wants to be prepared. On Wednesday morning, Pettway filled up 10 bags with sand at the Westmonte Recreation Center in Altamonte Springs.
“The water has always come up near my home after a big storm,” Pettway said as she climbed into her car. “And two years ago, there was some water inside my home [after Ian]. So it’s better to be prepared.”
Longwood resident Frank Artis also filled up several bags with sand at Westmonte, as a few city workers stood by to help a steady but light stream of people arriving with shovels.
Like Pettway, he doesn’t expect his yard or home to flood. But he just wants to be prepared. And he can always save the bags for another day, he said.
“Water sometimes comes up to my patio after one of those heavy afternoon downpours,” he said. “I’m guessing that’s what’s going to happen with the storm … It always best to be prepared.”
Martin Comas
Filling sandbags in Osceola County
Marlyn Velazquez, 31, and her brother Meled, 24, arrived at Osceola Heritage Park early Wednesday to secure 25 sandbags to protect their home after Hurricane Ian in 2022 flooded their Kissimmee house.
“We woke up to about ankle-deep water on the first floor,” Velazquez said. “It was very traumatic.”
This time as Hurricane Helene takes aim at Florida, Velazquez said she’s more prepared but is still “terrified.”
Two years ago during Ian, Velazquez, her brother and her two kids, 16-year-old Adjan and 14-year-old Yael, worked through the night to scoop out water from inside their home. The family lost everything from furniture and electronics to their car because of floodwater damage.
“The kids were so scared so now every time we hear there’s a hurricane they pick up all their electronics and put them high up,” Velazquez said.
The brother and sister plan to ride out Helene with sandbags lining the front and back of their house in hopes it will stop floodwater from entering their two-story home.
“We will stay and fight for the house,” Meled said.
Nearby at one of the roughly 10 sand piles at Heritage Park, 31-year-old Yasi Natal bent down to shovel sand into a bag.
She lives in St. Cloud with her parents and younger brother who are working, so she said she was tasked with getting sandbags ahead of Helene.
Natal said her home has never flooded but she and her family are still concerned.
“It’s never really flooded but there are some areas that get a bit of water even when it rains,” Natal said. “This is a new home so we have to protect it.”
St. Cloud, Kissimmee and Osceola County residents can continue to fill sandbags at Osceola Heritage Park until 4 p.m.
Residents who have questions ahead of the storm can call the citizen information line at (407) 742-0000.
Natalia Jaramillo
Helene now a hurricane
We now have Hurricane Helene. The National Hurricane Center in Miami upgraded the storm in its 11 a.m. update Wednesday.
Hurricane Helene was packing maximum-sustained winds of 80 mph and was located about 500 miles south-southwest of Tampa.
“Additional strengthening is forecast, and Helene is expected to be a major hurricane when it reaches the Florida Big Bend coast Thursday evening,” the hurricane center said.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 275 miles.
Sentinel staff
Duke has 8,000 workers set for power restoration
Duke Energy Florida said it is readying 8,000 workers to respond to Hurricane Helene. “As the storm approaches, these skilled individuals are being strategically placed across the state, enabling them to respond as quickly as possible to widespread power outages that are expected as a result of strong winds and heavy rainfall,” the company said in a news release.
Duke said it is also sending crews from its Midwest operations in Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana. “Responders include power line technicians, vegetation workers, damage assessors and support personnel,” Duke said.
Duke’s power trucks were scheduled to be staged at Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg College Tarpon Springs, The Villages and Suwannee Valley Farmer’s Market.
Sentinel staff
‘This is going to be a large and strong storm,’ researcher says
Because Helene is such a fast-moving storm, it won’t dump as much rain on Florida as past hurricanes have done, but its winds may impact places as far inland as northern Georgia, Brian McNoldy, a senior research associate at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, said Wednesday.
“You are going to see destructive winds not only in Tallahassee but in Atlanta,” McNoldy said. “You are going to have a major hurricane plowing inland, and storms take a little time to decay once they’re inland.”
The models are showing a big wind field, which is why 64 out of 67 counties are under either an emergency order, a watch or warning, he said.
“That this is going to be a large and strong storm,” McNoldy said. ”It is going to be moving very quickly.”
Associated Press
SECO Energy offers hurricane tips
SECO Energy, the not-for-profit power cooperative serving customers in Lake, Sumter, Marion, Citrus, Levy, Pasco and Hernando counties, said Wednesdays its crews are ready to respond to power outages from Helene.
The cooperative offered the following hurricane prep tips:
- Assemble an emergency kit. It should include at least a three-day supply of water, non- perishable food, medication, first aid supplies, a flashlight, a weather radio, and extra batteries. Include a list of emergency contacts.
- Charge your cell phone and have external backup power sources charged.
- Develop an evacuation plan in case it’s needed. Communicate the plan to your family. Include pets or livestock in your plan.
- Secure outdoor items. Safely store lawn furniture, decorations, toys, garbage cans, and other items that can be brought indoors.
- Close windows and doors in the event of high winds.
- Fuel up. Fill up your vehicles before the storm, as a loss of power could affect gas stations.
- Consider having supplies handy for your propane or charcoal grill. Be sure to grill outdoors in well-ventilated areas for safety.
- If you operate a standby generator after a storm, be sure to follow the owner’s manual instructions and safety recommendations.
Sentinel staff
Local agencies offering sandbags
Lady Lake Parks and Recreation said Wednesday it is providing sand and sandbags at the intersection of W. Hermosa Street and Gibson Street on Wednesday from 10 a.m.to 7 p.m. The limit is 10 bags per residence. Shovels are provided for use at the site, but residents must fill their own bags. Limited assistance will be available for those with special needs.
Here is a list of other jurisdictions providing sandbags.
Sentinel staff
Biden has declared a state of emergency in Florida
President Joe Biden declared an emergency in Florida and deployed Federal Emergency Management Agency teams to Florida and Alabama to support local first responders. Federal authorities were positioning generators, food and water, along with search-and-rescue and power restoration teams, the White House said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also issued an emergency for most of the state’s counties, while Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared an emergency in his state as well.
Associated Press
Homeless Shelters increase capacity
In an effort to get people off the streets as the area braces for the storm, Homeless shelters in Central Florida have opened gymnasiums, dining rooms and other common areas not typically used for sleeping. When possible, cots and blankets are being offered.
The shelters that have expanded their capacity are the Coalition for the Homeless in downtown Orlando, the nearby Salvation Army, Orlando Union Rescue Mission and Sanford’s Rescue Outreach Mission.
Those seeking shelter can also go to one of Orange County’s emergency weather shelters at West Orange Recreational Center, Goldenrod Recreation Center and Barnett Park.
Lynx has agreed to transport anyone in need of shelter at no cost. To catch a free ride, passengers must notify the driver that they want to go to an emergency shelter.
Sentinel staff
Most Central Florida schools plan to open Friday
All Central Florida public schools closed Thursday as the storm approached but most plan to hold classes Friday morning.
The Lake, Orange, Seminole and Volusia county school districts said they planned to reopen Friday as long as the weather permitted.
The Osceola County school district will be closed Friday as that was an already scheduled student holiday.
Sentinel staff
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