Path of Tropical Storm Helene as of 11 AM Tuesday September 24, 2024. Image shows Helene hitting South Georgia Thursday night or Friday morning at hurricane strength.

If you’ve been keeping an eye on the weather, you’ll have seen that there is a tropical storm brewing down in the Caribbean. While it hasn’t made it to hurricane status yet (as of Tuesday morning), the projections do show it strengthening before making landfall. The current projections show it passing over South Georgia. While the path and severity predictions may change over the next few days, it seems likely we are going to get hit with some bad weather. Below are a few things to keep in mind both before and after the storm.

Before the Storm

Before the storm hits, there are a few things you can do to prepare. Stop irrigation now to dry out the soil before the heavy rains that are likely to come. Likewise, if you have drainage ditches and culverts, make sure they are clear of debris to further reduce the risk of standing water. Make sure all emergency equipment and supplies are ready to go (e.g., tractors, chainsaws, fuel, water, etc.). If possible, take representative photos of your groves, any buildings or greenhouse structures, vehicles, and equipment. These will come in handy in evaluating any damage following the storm.

During the Storm

Once the storm does hit, the safety of you, your family, and your employees is the top priority. Continue to monitor the weather and take any precautions recommended. Once the storm has blown over, we can begin assessing the damage.

After the storm

Once it is safe to do so, take photos of any damage sustained by the storm before clean-up efforts begin. During the clean-up process, continue to document any damage. If we do get hit by this storm, we will likely see some fruit drop and fruit damaged by the storm will continue to drop in the weeks following so continue to document any losses.

We can better determine what actions need to be taken after the storm, but there are a few things that you can plan on doing. Continue to suspend irrigation until your field sites are well-drained; we want to minimize standing water as much as possible. The wet conditions will be right for many diseases. If you have had phytophthora issues in the past, plan to treat soon after the storm. Likewise, the high winds that occur during tropical storms and hurricanes can spread many diseases, like canker, so it will be important to stick to your spray schedules.

Again, it is still too early to know what this storm is going to do. To continue monitoring the storm, I would recommend following it through the national hurricane center.

Other resources:

The USDA has put out a Hurricane Preparation and Recovery in the Southeastern United States: Citrus Producers Guide that contains a lot of good information.