Athens residents are being urged to prepare as Hurricane Helene bears down on Georgia.
Athens is under a flood watch and a tropical storm watch through Friday morning, according to the National Weather Service. Rain is already falling, with a total of six to seven inches predicted, and tropical storm wind gusts are possible on Friday.
Forecasters expect Helene to be a Category 4 hurricane with 130-mile-per-hour winds by the time it makes landfall at Florida’s Big Bend Coast today. It is then projected to move north along the Georgia- Alabama line. At more than 400 miles wide, the storm will affect a far greater area, though.
According to UGA WeatherDawgs, unrelated thunderstorms in North Georgia have already saturating the soil, making flooding more likely and potentially toppling trees, causing widespread power outages.
Athens-Clarke County has set up a website at accgov.com/helene with information on how to prepare and who to call for various emergencies.
The Clarke County School District has canceled all after-school activities on Thursday, and public schools will be closed on Friday. Likewise, Oconee County schools will be open Thursday with extracurricular activities canceled, but closed Friday.
Classes at the University of Georgia, the University of North Georgia, Athens Tech and Piedmont College have been canceled for both Thursday and Friday, although UGA professors have the option of holding classes online. Dining halls will remain open, and UGA Transit will continue to operate as long as it’s safe to do so, the university announced.
Gov. Brian Kemp has declared a state of emergency for the entire state.
The Athens-Clarke County Library will close at 3 p.m. today and remain closed through Friday, then reopen for regular hours on Saturday.
The Bigger Vision shelter has added 10 emergency beds; call 706-340-6062 after 4 p.m. to reserve one for 6 p.m. check-in. The Salvation Army shelter has added 20 beds for men and 10 for women, but is seeking help providing meals. Contact [email protected].
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