ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Emergency crews, businesses and Western North Carolina residents are preparing as a strong storm rapidly approaches.

Helene, which officially strengthened into a hurricane around 11 a.m. Wednesday, is expected to make landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast Thursday. After that, the storm is expected to travel north, making its way toward Western North Carolina.

Wednesday afternoon, Governor Roy Cooper declared a State of Emergency for North Carolina ahead of Hurricane Helene.

“Helene threatens heavy rain, flash flooding, landslides, and damaging winds to the mountains and Piedmont areas of our state,” said Governor Cooper. “Now is the time for North Carolinians to prepare, make sure emergency kits are up-to-date and pay attention to the weather alerts in your area.”

According to the National Weather Service (NWS), considerable and potentially life-threatening flash flooding is expected across portions of Florida, the Southeast, the southern Appalachians and the Tennessee Valley through Friday. This includes the risk of landslides across the southern Appalachians.

“Preparations to protect life and property should be completed by early Thursday since tropical storm conditions are expected to begin within this area on Thursday,” NWS’ latest update says.

According to NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, Western North Carolina could see anywhere from 6 to 15 inches of rain through Saturday morning.

Emergency shelters:

As of Wednesday night, several counties began reporting areas of flooding.

The following counties have opened emergency shelters:

The following is a message from NWS Greenville-Spartanburg:

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for the North Carolina mountains/foothills, Upstate South Carolina, and northeast Georgia for tropical storm-force winds within the next 36-48 hours. The Flood Watch has been expanded further east into the western Carolinas.

IMPACTS: Flash flood concern will be greatest along and near the Blue Ridge Escarpment prior to Helene, with 4-8″ expected. Flash flooding is likely to develop in these areas before tropical rain bands arrive. Additional rainfall amounts are expected when Helene arrives late Thursday into Friday. This rainfall on top of already-saturated soils and ongoing flash flooding will lead to worsening flash flood impacts, with locally catastrophic, life-threatening flash flooding possible in areas along and near the Blue Ridge escarpment. Vulnerable areas need to prepare for the worst-case scenario. Areas that normally do not flood may flood. Numerous landslides will occur across the mountains, with a couple of large, damaging debris flows/slope failures possible.

Winds gusts as high as 60 mph could be seen across northeast Georgia, the western Upstate, and the North Carolina mountains. The combination of strong wind gusts and saturated soils will likely result in numerous downed trees, with numerous power outages likely.

A small threat for isolated tornadoes will develop later today and continue through Thursday evening.

The time for preparations is rapidly closing and needs to be complete with a sense of urgency.

CLICK HERE to check out storm updates.

Henderson County, the city of Hendersonville and McDowell County have declared a State of Emergency as well.

How to prepare yourself, your property ahead of the storm

The Asheville Fire Department shared the following tips for preparing ahead of the storm:

  • Check gutters and downspouts: Clean out any leaves or debris that could cause clogs, which can lead to water buildup.
  • Inspect your roof: Check for loose shingles, soft spots, or cracks that could lead to leaks.
  • Prepare an emergency kit: Have an emergency kit for your home, office, and car that includes supplies for 3 days.
  • Drive safely: Slow down to 35 miles per hour or less to avoid hydroplaning. Increase the distance between your car and the one in front of you. Turn on your headlights, but avoid high beams, which can blind other drivers.
  • Follow weather reports: Stay informed about heavy rain forecasts.
  • Know your neighbors: Get to know your neighbors and watch out for each other.
  • Have perimeter drains inspected: Have a qualified inspector regularly inspect the perimeter drains around your property.
  • Keep storm drains clear: Make sure the storm drains in front of your property are clear.

WNC cities, counties preparing for the storm

The city of Asheville shared the following information with 828newsNOW about their preparations:

We are activating our emergency operations plan and will continue to monitor the storm and its potential impact to our area. The City of Asheville staff works together through our plan and process to create a cross-departmental response to inform the community and meet their needs as the situation evolves.

We have engaged over the month of September, Emergency Preparedness Month, sharing information with our community on ways to prepare for a variety of potential emergencies.

We continue to urge our community to use best practices like, have a family plan and turn around don’t drown in the face of heavy rains or potential flooding

We also continue to urge community members to sign up for AVL ALERTS and monitor Asheville Fire Department and City of Asheville social media channels for updates as warranted.

AFD

City of Asheville

AVL ALERTS: https://www.ashevillenc.gov/service/sign-up-for-avl-alert/

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The city of Hendersonville shared the following information on social media:

We encourage you to make preparations before Tropical Storm Helene brings large amounts of rainfall and high winds to our area.

Visit www.ready.gov for preparedness tips and make sure you have a plan, have a kit, and have a way to receive weather alerts and emergency notifications.

Text AlertHVL to 226787 for City of Hendersonville alerts or visit our website to customize your AlertHVL notification settings.

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McDowell County Emergency Management shared the following information with 828newsNOW:

McDowell County Emergency Management began planning for Helene on Monday. Disaster equipment is being pre-staged within the community. Additional coordination meetings are scheduled for Wednesday as we continue to closely monitor the forecast. Citizens are encouraged to monitor the forecast closely and ensure they have an emergency kit to be self sustainable for 72 hours.

Text MCDOWELL911 to the number 888-777 on your mobile phone to receive Nixle Alerts.

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Haywood County Emergency Services shared the following information on social media:

As the projected impacts of Hurricane Helene become more certain, Haywood County is mobilizing all available resources to protect its residents, visitors, and resources.

All available emergency personnel and resources are in place and ready to respond as needed. The Emergency Operations Center will be fully staffed starting Thursday and will remain operational throughout the event.

Several new river gauges have been installed since Tropical Storm Fred impacted the county three years ago and they are providing data to emergency personnel now. Unfortunately, they are not yet listed on the statewide public flood gauge site known as FIMAN (https://fiman.nc.gov/), but they are up and running behind the scenes.

Fire departments are now assessing their districts and staffing up swift water teams, just in case.

The forthcoming Alert Siren project continues to move forward with installations beginning later this fall. Because installation has not begun, the system will not be functional as a warning system for this storm.

Haywood County is confident in its preparation efforts and urges citizens to take the opportunity to prepare now. The lessons we learned during Tropical Storm Fred should inform our choices for this potential event.

Residents are encouraged to prepare for potential evacuation by assembling an emergency kit, securing their home and property, photographing important documents in advance, and making arrangements to stay with family or friends if that’s the best option for them.

Sign up for Haywood alerts at: alerts.haywoodcountync.gov.

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The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) shared the following information with 828newsNOW about their preparations:

Our crews are preparing now for Helene by ensuring equipment is working properly, staging barricades in areas prone to flood, checking storm drains & grates for debris, contacting our contract partners for their availability to clear debris and downed trees, and scheduling our staff to work around the clock through the storm’s duration.

We encourage drivers to go to www.DriveNC.gov to check real-time travel conditions if driving is absolutely necessary. We also want to remind motorists to never drive around or remove a barricade. Remember the message “Turn Around Don’t Drown!”

Being natural disasters, landslides are unpredictable and can happen with any storm. We know they could occur this weekend, after the storm passes. Our crews will respond if one should occur.

Power outages

Click here to view Duke Energy’s power outage portal, which includes areas of the website where you can view power outages, report them and tips for how to prepare for severe storms.

Road closures

Check NCDOT’s website for real-time traffic information and road closures.

Check out Hendersonville road closures and other storm updates HERE.