LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The remnants of Hurricane Helene, once packing Category 4 strength, arrived in Lexington before dawn on Friday. Inside the Fayette County Emergency Management office, it’s been a week-long process of getting ready for the impact, and the advanced warning is always a big help.
“Absolutely, it gives us time to prepare with police and fire, and gives us time to know what we're facing, and have staff on hand to respond and help residents of Lexington,” said Emily Fay, the department’s Public Information Officer.
Helene was never going to be nearly as powerful as it was when it made landfall off Florida’s Gulf Coast, but it had the potential to do plenty of damage around Kentucky and knock out power to hundreds of thousands of residents.
“We're expecting rain and high winds,” Fay said. “The rain is about the same forecast it was yesterday - between 3-4 inches - but the high winds have increased with gusts up to 50-60 mph,” she added.
A high wind warning remained in effect from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. Friday, and for those who didn’t have the luxury of working from home, or taking the day off, the conditions made for difficult commutes.
“Take your time, travel slowly, if you're in a high-profile vehicle take a different one, if possible, but just be cautious of the people around you and aware of your surroundings,” Fay said.
The last time central Kentucky was hit hard by a storm was back in April. Trees and power lines were downed in communities everywhere. As of this writing, we have already seen that type of collateral damage with this storm.
“We cannot stress enough; don't touch a power line or anything a power line is touching. If it's on a tree don't touch the tree, if it's on your car don't get out of your car, call for help,” Fay explained.
She also said to keep the phone or other devices charged in the event you do lose power, and keep as much water and non-perishable food as possible, in case a power outage lasts for more than one day. Naturally, driving through high water is not a good idea.
“The inconvenience of having to reroute is worth so much more than your life,” Fay added.
