Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida on Thursday and started her devastating path up through the southeastern United States.
The storm deluged areas in western Florida’s Gulf Coast and Panhandle, eastern Tennessee, western North Carolina, and regions of Georgia and South Carolina with record-breaking rainfalls, and the resulting flooding has decimated many parts of the region. At this time, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida have all qualified for “Major Disaster Declaration” status, which provides federal disaster assistance, according to FEMA.
If you have travel plans to visit any of these areas, it’s important to know that you might not be able to visit not just in the immediate future but also for an extended period while recovery and cleanup continue.
Here’s a guide on what to do if you have a trip planned to the southeast US to places including Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, western North Carolina or eastern Tennessee.
Is it safe to travel to the Southeast US?
Western North Carolina
“Catastrophic,” is the word being used most often to describe the storm situation in western North Carolina and the region encompassing Buncombe County, which includes the city of Asheville as well as large sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway. According to the Washington Post, the Swannanoa River, which traverses Asheville’s historic Biltmore Village, “reached a record high level of 26 feet on Friday afternoon, surpassing the last major flooding event, in 2004, by more than 6 feet.”
As a result, Visit North Carolina, the tourism arm of North Carolina government, has a statement on their website that says: “Visitors should not travel into the mountains and should call their travel provider to confirm alternative travel plans, including reservations with lodging providers, and heed any guidance from local officials.” The state’s department of transportation posted on social media that “All roads in Western North Carolina should be considered closed.”
Eastern Tennessee
Areas of eastern Tennessee, including Knoxville, are affected by flooding. A portion of Interstate 40 near the Tennessee-North Carolina border was washed away, as were a number of bridges in the area. (Note that while Nashville and Memphis both received record-setting rainfalls, both are accessible and open for tourism.)
Several areas of Great Smoky Mountains National Park are also closed, including Newfound Gap Road/Hwy 441, Kuwohi Road (formerly known as Clingmans Dome Road) and Cataloochee Valley area.
The National Park Service (NPS) is currently assessing conditions in the park following the storm. According to the NPS website, “While we recognize that this is a popular time to visit the park, visitors are encouraged to reschedule their trips for their own safety. If visitors choose to visit, they are asked to recreate responsibly—know your limits, avoid water recreation and know that emergency response times may be delayed. Hiking and backcountry travel are not recommended due to the unpredictability of creek crossings, potential of downed trees and other hazardous trail conditions. Emergency services are currently stretched thin and have already responded to several incidents (many unrelated to the storm) in the last several days.”
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Florida
According to the state’s official tourism website, Visit Florida, “Hurricane Helene was a very large storm, impacting an extensive swath of Florida.” And as such, they’ve provided a list of resources to check with specific areas. The Tampa area as well as Sarasota and its barrier islands were especially hard hit and is difficult to access currently. The Sarasota government is asking people to, “Please avoid north and south Lido Beach. Storm recovery efforts are being disrupted by those trying to access the beach. If you do not have to be in the area, please stay away.”
Georgia
All of Georgia is under a State of Emergency from Governor Kemp, however airports are open and many services are available. The city of Atlanta is under a boil water order and expects to have cleared many of the 150 fallen trees in the city by Oct. 2.
South Carolina
The official tourism website of the state, Discover South Carolina, advises travelers that, “Due to Hurricane Helene, please be advised that you may temporarily experience longer lines at some gas stations.” Many parts of western South Carolina, including Greenville, are still without power, though the energy companies are aiming to restore power by Oct. 4. “The public is asked to stay home and off the roads as clean-up efforts continue,” according to the Greenville government’s website.
When will the Southeast reopen after Hurricane Helene?
All of the affected states are currently in the midst of assessing and mitigating damage while simultaneously waiting for electric and water services to be fully restored.
PowerOutage.us reports that nearly 1.8 million people across the Southeast are currently without power.
Airlines allowing changes to flights in the Southeast
Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines is offering flexible travel policies to and from Atlanta (ATL), Cancun (CUN), Orlando (MCO), Ft. Meyers (RSW) and Tampa (TPA).
Hawaiian Airlines
Hawaiian Airlines has no current travel advisories.
American Airlines
American Airlines is waiving change fees for flights to, through or from Asheville (AVL).
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines has no current travel advisories, but always allows ticket changes without penalty.
Delta Air Lines
Delta is offering rebooking options for a large number of airports and destinations in the Southeast U.S., Mexico and Caribbean, including all Atlanta flights. However, changes must be made by Oct. 1.
United Airlines
United is allowing fee free changes to flights to and from Asheville through Oct. 5.
What to do if you have a hotel or Airbnb booked in the Southeast
If you have a made a reservation directly with a hotel, first check their website and see if they have posted any updates. You can also call the main reservations number. Keep in mind many phones may not be working, and properties may likely be managing the crisis, so calling the property directly should be a last option.
If you booked through a third-party online travel agent (OTA) or aggregator like Expedia or Travelocity, it’s important to understand the cancellation policy. The OTA still owns your reservation prior to your travel, so contacting the hotel directly will likely result in you being referred back to the OTA or travel portal for assistance.
“For impacted hotels available on Expedia and Hotels.com, we’re waiving cancellation policies and sharing guidance with our travelers who have affected trips,” says the company. Vrbo, which is also owned part of the Expedia Group, has activated its extenuating circumstances policy, “for eligible reservations where travelers will be able to get a full refund. We will continue to work with Vrbo hosts who have upcoming bookings in impacted areas to make sure all of our travelers are treated fairly.”
For those travelers who booked accommodations with Airbnb, the company has activated its “major disruptive events policy” for parts of the Southeast. Eligible guests with reservations will receive a full refund, and both hosts and guests can cancel bookings penalty-free, the company said. (Airbnb.org is also offering free, temporary housing for people who have been displaced from their homes by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina and Florida.)
What to do if you have a cruise leaving from Florida
For cruise passengers, it’s important to understand the cancellation or rebooking policy for the specific cruise line you will be traveling on.
Currently, there are no cruise port closures in the affected areas. However, cruise lines might need to reroute to avoid areas experiencing storms or their aftermath. As TPG’s cruise team has reported, per the terms of the cruise contract to which you consent before sailing, cruise lines do not owe you compensation if they alter your itinerary. If changes are made, you will be refunded for any shore excursions you booked through the cruise line that were to take place in the ports you’re skipping. (Check with your tour provider directly if you’ve booked a third-party excursion.)
TPG’s guide on what happens if a cruise gets canceled is the next place to refer to for guidance if you receive notice that your cruise is canceled.
Related: What happens if my cruise line changes my itinerary or ship?
Will your credit card or trip insurance cover changes?
If you purchased travel insurance before Helene became a named storm, you should be able to recoup most of your travel expenses. Unfortunately, if you purchased a policy after the storm was named, it’s too late to buy travel insurance.
“Insurance covers the unexpected,” says Jenna Hummer, public relations director of Squaremouth (a company that provides comparisons of travel insurance from major U.S. providers, “so once something is considered ‘foreseen’ — in this case, when a tropical storm or hurricane has been named — you can no longer get coverage for that storm.”
“Trip cancellation and trip interruption will reimburse lost or unused prepaid, nonrefundable expenses due to a hurricane making it impossible to get to your destination,” says Stan Sandberg, co-founder of TravelInsurance.com. “Many plans will also provide coverage if there is a mandatory evacuation at the destination. A few plans will even provide coverage in the event there is a NOAA hurricane warning at your destination during your trip dates.”
Trip delay coverage will reimburse you for unexpected travel costs such as food, transportation, internet service and lodging when your flight is delayed for an extended period of time.
Related: Top travel mistakes to avoid during hurricane season
As for trip insurance that’s part of a credit card’s benefits, “Remember that your credit card won’t cover anything not purchased on that card,” Hummer says. “So, if you haven’t paid for your whole trip with that card or other people in your group used another payment method, you won’t be fully covered.”
TPG has a comprehensive guide on credit cards that cover trip cancelation and interruption and what might be covered in a natural disaster.
Related: 4 times your credit card’s travel insurance can help with travel woes, and 7 times it won’t
How to help support Hurricane Helene recovery efforts
If you’d like to help those in the storm’s path, there are several options to explore:
Bottom line
Hurricane Helene brought unprecedented rain and devastation across Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. The cleanup is just beginning and could continue for some time. If you have plans to travel to the area, check ahead to see if your accommodations are still open and the area you’re hoping to visit has power and running water. It may be prudent to delay or cancel your plans until a future date.
For more helpful tips on navigating travel during hurricane season, read: