News Update for 9/25/24

Potential Tropical Cyclone 9 was officially upgraded to Tropical Storm Helene on Tuesday in the National Hurricane Center’s 11 a.m. advisory but Helene is expected to rapidly intensify into at least a Category 2 storm. Highlands County is now under state of emergency status after Governor Ron Desantis increased the original executive list of 41 counties by 20 yesterday morning. The Board of County Commissioners will be holding an emergency meeting at 2 p.m. today to discuss further action, if needed. Highlands County has been placed under a flood watch until 8 a.m. Friday. The county will provide sand for your sandbags at South George Boulevard in Sebring, Old Bombing Range Road and County Road 17 East in Avon Park and County Road 621 and County Road 619 in Lake Placid.

Colleges and schools across the Sunshine State are preparing for the potential impacts of Helene. School districts across the state have started announcing their closures for the week. In Highlands County, the School Board announced that today will be a normal two-hour early release school day and on Thursday schools will be closed. Friday will see normal school day activities and extracurriculars resume. South Florida State College has canceled in-person and online classes for Thursday as well.

An Orange County employee is being recognized for a true act of courage and outstanding citizenship. County officials announced yesterday that corrections officer Timothy Williams was honored as Florida Missing Children’s Day Citizen of the Year by the FDLE. Williams is credited with preventing the kidnapping of a young girl in Polk County last year. A man was trying to kidnap the 11-year-old from her school bus stop while Williams was also at the bus stop as a parent. When Williams stepped in, the man fled, but Williams chased him and contained him until Polk County deputies arrived. The county’s corrections chief says if it wasn’t for Williams’ bravery and swift intervention, the girl would have become the victim of a crime.

Texas is sending help to Florida as they prepare for what will likely be a massive hurricane. In a statement, Governor Greg Abbott says that his state understands first-hand the importance of being prepared for a storm. The deployment of Texas Task Force One includes urban search-and-rescue workers. They’re bringing high-water rescue vehicles, boats and specially-trained dogs.

Highlands County is under a state of emergency as Tropical Storm Helene approaches Florida. Helene is expected to rapidly intensify into at least a Category 2 storm before expected landfall in the Big Bend area. The Board of County Commissioners will be holding an emergency meeting at 2 p.m. today and The School board has announced that schools will be closed on Thursday. Southwest Florida Water Management District is closing all District-managed campgrounds and properties to include trails and day use areas throughout its 16-county region at 3 p.m. today Other Thursday closures include South Florida State College which has cancelled all online and in person classes and all District offices.

Florida’s chief financial officer is reminding residents about recovery resources to take advantage of before and after a storm hits. Jimmy Patronis says the PrepareFL website has emergency checklists, flood claim information, and a natural disaster guide. He says anyone who is covered under the National Flood Insurance Program should be prepared to document potential damage in order to get assistance quickly.

The deadline is approaching for Hurricane Ian victims who need assistance. Homeowners who suffered damages during the Category 4 storm two years ago have until September 28th to file their claims. Ian caused widespread impacts across the southwest region of the state in 2022. FEMA says more than ten-billion dollars in federal support went toward recovery efforts. The National Hurricane Center has identified Ian as the costliest cyclone in Florida and the third in United States history.

Helene is disrupting plans on the Space Coast. NASA announced yesterday it’s postponing tomorrow’s joint SpaceX launch of the Crew 9 mission. The new launch time is Saturday at 1:17 p.m. at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Three NASA astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut will board a Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station.

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