Hurricane Helene updates for 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 25

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Here are the latest details on Hurricane Helene, which AccuWeather experts now say could intensify to a Category 4 hurricane:

MAKING LANDFALL: Hurricane Helene is now formally a hurricane. It is projected to make landfall on Thursday evening somewhere on the eastern part of the Florida Panhandle.

GEORGIA EMERGENCY: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp directed the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency to activate the State Operations Center. On Tuesday, Kemp declared a State of Emergency for all 159 counties. Kemp has also asked FEMA to grant Georgia an emergency declaration to further marshal resources and deploy them where most needed before, during, and after the weather event.

“The current forecast for Hurricane Helene suggests this storm will impact every part of our state,” Kemp said in a statement. “We are not taking anything for granted.”

FLORIDA EMERGENCY: On Tuesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 24-209, updating EO 24-208 and declaring a state of emergency for 61 counties. The move allows state officials to make critical resources available to communities before any potential storm impacts.

First Lady @CaseyDeSantis and I visited Hillsborough County, where utility and transportation personnel are staged and standing by to deploy after the storm. Thanks to state and local preparedness efforts—and the thousands of linemen who come from all over Florida and other… pic.twitter.com/WFVh8Fy5WP

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) September 25, 2024

BEWARE OF SCAMMERS: Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr is warning Georgians to look for possible storm-related scams in anticipation of Hurricane Helene. Following bad storms, scam artists, often called “storm chasers,” often ask homeowners for up-front payments for home repair service and then disappear without ever doing the work or charge exorbitant prices for tree removal and for unnecessary repairs or do substandard work.

DRIVE SAFE: AAA-The Auto Club Group wants drivers to be cautious and avoid being on the roads during the storm, if possible. According to data from the Federal Highway Administration, each year, 75 percent of weather-related vehicle crashes occur on wet pavement, and 47 percent happen during rainfall.