The Chattanooga area should prepare for high winds, heavy rain, flooding and felled trees starting early Friday morning, as Hurricane Helene moves north from Florida.
Forecasts Thursday evening showed the storm is expected to hit much of Georgia and parts of Tennessee, bringing wind and flash flood warnings to Chattanooga.
(READ MORE: Helene makes landfall in northwestern Florida as a Category 4 hurricane)
Winds in the area are expected to peak early Friday and reach 45 to 55 mph, Doug Schneider, with the National Weather Service office in Morristown, Tennessee, said by phone.
Chattanooga could see between 3 to 5 inches of rain through Friday morning and another half inch to inch by the end of Friday, Schneider said. Showers should be more scattered over the weekend, he said.
"The heaviest rain in Chattanooga's most likely going to be occurring tonight," Schneider said Thursday. "The creeks and streams will be rising, low-lying areas will be filled with water and there could potentially be flooding of roads that could cause a hazard."
(READ MORE: Hurricane Helene tracking toward Chattanooga region)
Local agencies were briefed by the weather service Thursday afternoon, Amy Maxwell, spokesperson for the Hamilton County Office of Emergency Management, said by phone.
"We are going to have some significant flash flooding," Maxwell said Thursday evening. "We are going to have power outages, and we will have trees that will come down."
People should plan to avoid driving, Maxwell said.
"We are concerned, I will say that," Maxwell said. "We are going to be on high alert."
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First responder agencies are planning to convene at the county's emergency operations center on Amnicola Highway early Friday morning, Maxwell said.
There, they can coordinate responses in real time — sending barrels or crews to flooded streets, monitoring downed trees and outages.
Crews will also be stationed throughout the county, Maxwell said, including trailers full of chainsaws to cut trees and all-terrain vehicles that can help transport people if ambulances can't get to them.
There are some areas in Hamilton County more prone to flooding, Maxwell said, including East Ridge, parts of Middle Valley, the Boy Scout Road area in Hixson and side streets near the Chattanooga Airport.
(READ MORE: Hamilton County schools, other Chattanooga area closures due to Helene)
Residents can report downed lines, trees or flooding at nonemergency numbers for law enforcement agencies, Maxwell said. In Chattanooga, residents can report issues to 311 or EPB, either by phone, online or using the agencies' mobile apps.
First responders will keep a log of all reported damage, which can be totaled for reimbursement if a state of emergency is declared, she said.
EPB can provide generators for people who rely on oxygen if they lose power, Maxwell said, and can bring gasoline to refill them.
The county's emergency alert system, rolled out in April, had gained around 500 subscribers in the run-up to the storm, Maxwell said. It sent two notifications Thursday — one warning residents to be aware of the weather and another telling people to expect rain, wind gusts and power outages. Nearly 8,600 people receive the alerts countywide, she said.
Power outages will likely come from downed trees, not from overwhelming demand on the grid, EPB spokesperson Sophie Moore said.
(READ MORE: Hamilton, Bledsoe, Sequatchie, Marion counties dealing with extreme drought)
"We all love the trees, but trees are also the biggest cause of power outages," Moore said by phone.
The utility has tapped 45 additional crews to help with the anticipated damage, Moore said.
"Just like in Florida right now, they've called in a lot of crews from other areas," she said. "We've done the same ... if there is any damage, we will be working around the clock until everybody is restored."
Cape Electrical Supply, a supplier that serves utilities like EPB, is also preparing to dispatch trucks throughout Georgia, Rob Jenkins, with the company, said by phone. Customers in South and Middle Georgia have already been asking for materials in preparation, Jenkins said.
"We've cleared our schedule for the next two or three days," Jenkins said. "A lot of times, the utility will have enough in stock, of their own material, to hold them over for the first 12 hours. And then once they're able to get out and assess the damage, then they start calling us."
Jenkins said that moisture softens the ground and can loosen tree roots, which makes trees more likely to fall.
"Unfortunately, more times than not, they fall towards the electric line and not away," Jenkins said.
According to The Associated Press, Georgia Power and dozens of utility cooperatives across the state are already grappling with thousands of power outages before Helene reaches land.
Georgia Power reported more than 5,000 customers without power as of 10:15 a.m. Thursday.
So far, there have been no reports of the football game between the University of Alabama and the University of Georgia on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, being affected.
IRONMAN UPDATE
Officials with the Ironman Chattanooga triathlon announced Thursday evening on social media that the swim portion of Sunday's competition has been canceled due to the expected significant rainfall and increased flow rate in the Tennessee River. The statement said the decision was made, due to safety concerns, in conjunction with city officials.
The event will now begin with a bike time trial starts at 8 a.m. (men's pro), 8:22 a.m. (women's pro) and 8:42 a.m. (age group). The transition area will open at 6:30 a.m.
Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569.
Contact Ellen Gerst at egerst@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6319.
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