PUNTA GORDA — Charlotte County Emergency Management held a news conference Wednesday to address the potential impacts of Hurricane Helene.
Director Patrick Fuller discussed county preparations before the potential major hurricane scrapes by Charlotte County on Thursday.
“The Charlotte County Board of County Commissioners declared a local state emergency yesterday, Tuesday, in preparation for the potential impacts of Hurricane Helene,” Fuller said. “The size and scope of the storm is likely to impact most portions of the peninsula of Florida, which is the reason why our forecast does include a potential for 3 to 5 feet of storm surge, widespread potential of rainfall 3 to 6 inches, with some isolated areas receiving up to 10 inches.”
Hurricane Helene was upgraded to a hurricane during the National Weather Services 11 a.m. advisory, and is more than 400 miles wide.
“We do have a roughly 70% chance of tropical storm force winds being experienced here in Charlotte County, primarily for the western portion of the county, because of this and the serious nature of the storm and the size of it, Charlotte County Emergency Operations Center is now operating at a level one,” Fuller said.