Helene is coming. Do these 14 things now to prepare

If you haven’t prepared already, the time is here. Hurricane Helene is expected to make landfall Thursday night along the Florida Gulf Coast near Tallahassee and then veer north, maintaining hurricane- and tropical storm-force winds and torrential rainfall into North Georgia and up to Tennessee. Up to 18 inches of rain is expected into the Carolinas, the National Weather Service said.

If you haven’t prepared already, the time is here. Hurricane Helene is expected to make landfall Thursday night along the Florida Gulf Coast near Tallahassee and then veer north, maintaining hurricane- and tropical storm-force winds and torrential rainfall into North Georgia and up to Tennessee. Up to 18 inches of rain is expected into the Carolinas, the National Weather Service said Thursday. About 40 million Americans are living under direct hurricane or tropical storm warnings across five states, according to CNN Supervising Meteorologist Brandon Miller. In most areas, the brunt of the storm will hit overnight. This requires special preparations. “If somebody’s going to bed at 9 or 10 o’clock tonight, it may seem like it’s not so bad. It’s just a little breezy, maybe 20- to 30-mile-per-hour winds and rain. But by 2 or 3 a.m., those winds are going to be 50 to 60 miles per hour, potentially, and so you need to prepare for that before you go to sleep,” Miller said. Miller advises turning up the volume on your phone or watch so you can hear any emergency alerts. It’s also a good idea to ensure that those devices are close to you and fully charged. Many areas are expected to lose power overnight, and high winds may delay crews from beginning restoration work. Heavy rainfall may saturate soil and high winds may cause trees to topple, so it’s a good idea to sleep in a part of your house that’s away from tall trees, if you can.