UPDATE: UF will reopen Saturday, having sustained only “minor damage from downed trees,” President Kent Fuchs wrote in an email Friday.
No UF students or employees were injured in the storm, Fuchs added.
“I want to extend my sincere thanks to our campus staff who worked tirelessly overnight and through the storm to ensure the university and our facilities remained steady,” Fuchs wrote in the email.
UPDATE: Santa Fe College will remain closed through Saturday. The Northwest campus, Davis campus and Kirkpatrick Center don’t have power. Crews are working to clear debris and make repairs. When it has been verified that college facilities are operational, Santa Fe will announce reopening, it said in a press release.
UPDATE: Early afternoon in the wake of Helene, Gainesville community members are out for a bite to eat as the city's utility crews work to restore power to 38,000.
Amanda Wagner-Pelkey, a 44-year-old Gainesville resident and public historian, sat on the bed of her truck with her 11-year-old son, waiting for a Waffle House to-go order. The hurricane was scary, she said.
“We lost power at 11, there were some branches on the house,” she said. “But it was a lot better than I expected.”
What stands out most to her about the impact of the hurricane is how everybody is “out and about,” she said.
“It almost seems like everybody’s just kind of happy to have a day off,” she said.
Lux Wagner-Pelkey, Amanda’s son, said the community needs to “keep their hopes up.”
“Don’t be afraid to ask for help,” Amanda said. “We’re a great community, we do a really good job of taking care of each other.”
Ian Hurd, a 29-year-old U.S. Coast Guard member, flew down to Gainesville from a Savannah, Georgia, air station early Friday morning to help with impact zones, he said. Hurd and his team, who took a trip to Gainesville’s Clock restaurant for breakfast, planned to drive down to Perry, Florida, to help citizens.
For future hurricanes, Hurd said it’s good to be prepared.
“Make sure you have a plan in place if you have to leave,” he said. “Make sure you have supplies.”
UPDATE: Two transmission lines were downed last night by Hurricane Helene, which is a rare occurrence, according to Gainesville Regional Utilities officials. Crews are still working to restore power to 38,000 customers as of 11:41 a.m.
“We are still assessing the full extent of the damage,” GRU wrote in an email. "We’re working on restoring power to those lines in addition to several wires down and multiple other outages."
Mutual aid crews from Kissimmee, Lake Worth Beach, Leesburg and Lubbock are assisting in the effort. GRU has also continued to advise residents to limit water use, as numerous lift stations are without power.
UPDATE: Around 46,000 are still without power as of 6:15 a.m., according to Gainesville Regional Utilities. That’s about a 17% decrease from the peak of the outages last night.
GRU prioritizes power plants and wastewater facilities when making repairs, followed by places like hospitals, police stations, fire stations, shelters and nursing homes, according to GRU Storm Central. Then crews work to make repairs in areas where they can restore the most power to the most people in one go. After that, they target clusters of homes and individual businesses and residences.
There is currently no ETA on full restoration, GRU wrote in a text message.
GRU also requested that Gainesville residents limit water usage after several wastewater stations lost power last night. Reduced use will prevent backups as GRU works to get the stations back online, according to its post on X at 9:57 a.m.
About 50 roadways across the city are blocked by fallen trees and powerlines. The city reported some major ones:
- 5300 NE 39th Ave., near the Florida Department of Transportation’s location in Gainesville
- 3300 NW 53rd Ave., in northern Gainesville near Scooter’s Coffee
- 3000 South Main St., by Sweetwater Wetlands and Bivens Arm Nature Park
- Intersection of NW 34th Boulevard and 24th Terrace, by Northside Park
- Intersection of NW 16th Avenue and Eighth Street, in the Gateway Park neighborhood
“Do NOT approach downed power lines or trees on wires,” GRU wrote. “Safely leave the area and report it immediately.”
Over 100 traffic lights are out across the county. In an intersection with an outage, it should be treated as a four-way stop, according to the city.
UPDATE: According to Alachua County’s Hurricane Helene updates, over 100,000 households are without power as of midnight — which accounts for around 80% of the county, according to 2023 U.S. census data.
In Gainesville specifically, nearly 37,000 are without power, as of 11:14 p.m. That’s over half of Gainesville Regional Utilities' customers across the city, which number around 58,000.
After the power went out at The Standard Apartments, Brady White, a UF computer science senior, said he walked to the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity house around midnight to be with friends and amenities.
“We didn’t have [running] water,” he said. “It’s really windy. There’s a bunch of blue lights and stuff in the sky, and that’s kind of scary.”
White said he prepared for the storm by buying plenty of ramen, water and beer. He felt the storm brought a sense of “camaraderie” to the Gainesville community.
“I feel like we’re coming together to survive the storm,” he said. “Stay safe, don’t do anything stupid. Enjoy the storm. Go Gators.”
Power outages have spread throughout the city. Near UF, West University and Midtown went dark with stoplights out. Police and firetrucks sat posted in the area around 11 p.m., as a few cars navigated the debris-ridden roads.
On campus, high winds and rain have not stopped students from navigating the sidewalks. As a Floridan, a hurricane can’t scare her, said Lashante Levy, a 19-year-old health science freshman.
As a lover of hurricanes, she said she was excited to experience Helene. Levy lives in a dorm on campus where power remained intact but took a moment outside to experience the weather.
“If you’re in Florida and there’s a hurricane, why are you not outside?” she said.
Classes being canceled is a plus, Levy said.
Sitting at a bus stop in front of Graham Hall, Martin Mendoza, an 18-year-old aerospace engineering freshman, said Helene is the first hurricane he’s experienced while on campus.
He was visibly soaked with water dripping off his hair, wind swaying the trees.
Despite being told buses would not be running during the storm, Mendoza said he “believed” that if he waited long enough one would come.
“I have nothing to do, and I’d like to go somewhere,” he said.
UPDATE: About 27,000 people are currently without power across Gainesville, according to Gainesville Regional Utilities as of 10:47 p.m. There are outages in areas of West University Avenue, 13th Street, Archer Road and the Shannon Wood neighborhood, as well as UF campus.
“We are receiving significant reports of downed trees and power outages,” Alachua County wrote in a Facebook post. “Please stay off the roads and stay inside.”
First reports of power outages rolled in shortly before Hurricane Helene made landfall in Taylor County around 11 p.m. Thursday. It had advanced to a Category 4 storm around 6 p.m.
Residents of the student apartment complex, Hub On Campus 3rd Ave, located at 1258 NW 3rd Ave, reported a mass power outage shortly after 10 p.m. Circa Properties’ Looking Glass Apartments, at 111 NW 16th St, lost power around the same time.
JJ’s Tavern and Salty Dog Saloon lost power, too, leaving bar-goers in the dark.
Many College Park residences also lost power with the Midtown power outage. These regained power at around 10:45 p.m., but residents at other student housing complexes have not reported the return of electricity. College Park residences lost power shortly after regaining it.
On20 Apartments, Alsander GNV and The Standard Apartments are among complexes that have reportedly lost power, according to residents.
Power outages have not been reported in the Innovation District, containing the lack of electricity to Midtown and northward.
UPDATE: Hurricane Helene upgraded to a Category 3 storm Thursday afternoon preceding its expected evening landfall.
The National Weather Service said Alachua County has a 100% chance of tropical storm force winds, with potential sustained wind speeds between 58 to 73 mph, according to an Alachua County weather alert.
When and where will the hurricane hit?
Hurricane Helene strengthened to a hurricane at 11 a.m. Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center. In an afternoon press conference, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Helene has the potential to make landfall as a Category 4 storm.
Helene is projected to hit Florida Thursday evening, but the state officials said Southern counties started feeling the effects this morning as Helene moved past Cuba and the Yucatan Peninsula. Alachua County began to see rainfall Wednesday afternoon.
Helene is expected to gain intensity as it rips through the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Current models show it headed towards the Florida panhandle, but Florida’s Big Bend residents are preparing for Helene to make landfall closer to them, which would be the region’s third hurricane in just over a year.
Is Gainesville an evacuation zone?
Alachua County issued an evacuation order Wednesday for citizens residing in mobile homes, manufactured homes and recreational vehicles, as well as those living in areas subject to flooding or near close proximity to bodies of water.
Alachua County trusts residents to understand their individual circumstances on their decision to evacuate, the county said in a press release.
Am I in a flood zone?
About 23% of Gainesville's land lies within a FEMA-designated flood zone. Wetlands across the city, including Payne’s and Hogtown Prairies and portions of Kanapaha Prairie, are highly flood-prone.
Properties most vulnerable to flooding are labeled “A” or “V” on FEMA maps. Those with low to moderate risk are labeled “B,” “C” or “X.”
What supplies do I need?
Some vital, recommended supplies are gallons of water, canned and nonperishable food items, flashlights, candles and portable chargers, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The Red Cross and other storm preparation sites are sharing guides and preparedness kits.
What are Gainesville and Alachua County doing to prepare?
Waste collection
Due to anticipated high winds, Alachua County Solid Waste & Resource Recovery facilities and operations will be closed Thursday.
Waste collection services, including garbage, recycling, yard waste and bulky items, will resume Friday, with all collections delayed by one day for the rest of the week. Regular schedules will resume the following week.
The county urges residents to secure their trash bins or containers and remove any waste placed curbside to prevent them from being scattered by the wind or becoming hazards.
Sandbags
Alachua County staff began distributing free sandbags to the community at Wayside Park on Tuesday and continued Wednesday.
For Newberry residents, bags and sand are available at the city’s public works compound at 120 NW 260th St. Those who want to participate must bring shovels.
In Hawthorne, sand and bags are available at the city’s wastewater treatment plant at 23016 SE 65th Lane — the public must fill their own bags.
The City of Gainesville offers sandbags at the public works building at 405 NW 39th Ave. and Citizens Field at 1400 NE Eighth Ave. Distribution is capped at 10 bags per vehicle while supplies last.
Emergency shelters
Alachua County announced the opening of three emergency shelters Wednesday, including two general population shelters and one special needs shelter for individuals seeking safety during Hurricane Helene.
The pet-friendly, general population shelters include the Martin Luther King Jr. Multipurpose Center, located at 1028 NE 14th St., Gainesville, and the Easton-Newberry Sports Complex located at 24880 NW 16th Ave. in Newberry.
The general population shelters do not provide cots or beds, and the county urges individuals to bring their own supplies, including special dietary foods, baby food, diapers, prescription medications, spare clothing, personal care items and identification.
Pet-owners are encouraged to bring their pet’s veterinary records and basic pet supplies when seeking shelter.
Alachua County’s special needs shelter opened noon Wednesday at the Alachua County Senior Recreation Center, located at 5701 NW 34th Blvd., Gainesville.
The special needs shelter will provide one cot per person, but individuals are encouraged to bring bedding in case cots are no longer available.
According to the Alachua County Facebook page, Uber is offering free rides to emergency shelters.
Users can input the code “HELENERELIEF” and get a free ride worth up to $35 each way, to and from the designated shelter locations.
Changes to RTS schedules, routes
The Gainesville Regional Transit System announced Wednesday that it would provide reduced services Thursday and return to full transportation services Friday.
RTS could further suspend service if weather conditions are deemed unsafe and wind speed reaches above 35 mph, according to a Hurricane Helene RTS Service alert posted Wednesday evening.
There has not been an instance when UF classes have been in session and the suspension policy was implemented, RTS said in the alert.
Eastern Alachua County is estimated to have wind gusts of up to 65 mph, according to a National Weather Service update posted on Wednesday.
Gainesville expects strong winds and tornados in the area for 48 hours after Hurricane Helene hits Florida, according to the city of Gainesville site.
For the most up-to-date information, residents can go to GNVriderts.app, riderts.app, or RTS’ website or Facebook for any updates on suspension of services.
Is school canceled?
UF offices are closed and classes are canceled Thursday and Friday. All academic and student-related activities, including online classes and exams, will also be canceled. P.K. Yonge and Baby Gator will follow the same operations as UF.
UF expects to resume normal operations on Saturday.
UF Health Hospitals and clinical practices are continuing normal operations with some exceptions. Students, faculty and staff should not park their personal vehicles in campus parking garages, as those will be needed for UF Health employees, UF stated in a press release.
Students living in residence halls are advised to shelter in place. Florida Fresh Dining will continue to serve the campus community during the storm.
Santa Fe College will be closed Thursday and Friday. Once the storm passes, Santa Fe will send crews out to survey all its campuses for any damage caused by the storm. When it has been verified that college facilities are operational, Santa Fe will announce reopening, it said in a press release.
Alachua County Public Schools and district offices will be closed Thursday and Friday due to Hurricane Helene. All extracurricular activities on those days are also canceled.
The district will assess storm damage after Helene has passed and notify families over the weekend if there will be any impact on the reopening of schools on Monday, ACPS spokesperson Jackie Johnson wrote in an email.
This is an Alligator staff report.
