Helene reached Category 3 hurricane status on Thursday as emergency response teams throughout North Georgia brace for the impact later tonight.
Habersham is among a list of counties to “double” fire, EMS, public works/roads department and sheriff’s office personnel in preparation of the storm, according to officials.
Clay Chaney, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Greenville-Spartanburg, said rain from Helene will likely hit North Georgia just after sunset. The storm will bring profuse winds and heavy rain across already-saturated terrain, increasing the risk of downed trees and power lines.
“The main rain shield will get here very late in the overnight – so around daybreak on Friday,” Chaney said. “That’s going to be when the issues really start to ramp up.”
According to Chaney, North Georgia could receive up to 6 inches of rain (with higher totals of 8-plus inches further north) and wind gusts upward of 50 mph in a short amount of time as the storm passes through.
“That’s going to cause more flash flooding issues, and then the winds will really start to pick up once Helene makes landfall and pushes this way,” Chaney said. “We’re looking at 60 or, possibly, up to 70 mph wind gusts. When you factor in the rain that we’ve gotten and how saturated the soils are, on top of the wind pushing in, it’s likely going to cause widespread tree damage – which will lead to a lot of power outages as well.”
The peak of Helene, which could increase the threat of pop-up tornados overnight, is now forecast to pummel North Georgia from around 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. Friday morning, Chaney said.
“By midmorning tomorrow, most of the ongoing threats should be out of here,” he said. “(People) should have multiple ways to receive weather warnings, take immediate shelter (if needed), find your safe place. Make sure to have nonperishable foods and water bottles in case your power goes out and stays out for an extended amount of time.”
Emergency response
Habersham County Director of Emergency 911 Lynn Smith said that while road crews and emergency departments are ready to respond to areas impacted by the storm, the potential extent of the damage is still unknown.
“I don’t know that you can ever prepare for something like this,” Smith said. “We have double staffed all county departments that are still working. We have asked that everybody stay at home – if they don’t have to be out in it.”
Smith went on to say that residents might have to “fend for themselves” in the immediate aftermath of the storm.
“Resources are going to be cut very short,” she said. “Resources are not going to be available as quickly as we’re going to hope they would be.”
On Thursday, Gov. Brian Kemp urged Georgians to remain vigilant.
