Driving during Hurricane Helene? Georgia transportation expert offers safety tips

Mark Rice
·2 min read

Driving during a hurricane is not recommended, but if it’s unavoidable the Georgia Department of Transportation has a response plan for the impact of Hurricane Helene and offers the following safety tips for motorists in the Columbus area and statewide.

Motorists should stay aware of standing or rushing water and remember that road conditions can change quickly, GDOT spokeswoman Gina Snider told the Ledger-Enquirer.

“Please remember that when heavy rainfall occurs in a very short amount of time, water on roadways — even with storm drains that function well under normal rainfall — can rise temporarily similarly to creeks and rivers,” she said in an email. “Motorists should take caution and be prepared to turn around when encountering water in the roadway. Vehicles can get swept away by as little as 12 inches of moving water.”

Do’s and don’ts for driving ina hurricane or tropical storm

  • GDOT urges folks to avoid nonessential travel and monitor road conditions using the 511GA app.

  • Call 511 to report flash flooding, downed trees or other obstructions that impede travel on roadways or bridges.

  • Don’t drive around barricades that are in place for motorists safety or through standing water.

  • Don’t clear tree limbs, downed trees or debris from roadways. Live power lines could be tangled in debris and can cause injury or death. Instead, wait for GDOT or Georgia Power crews.

  • If you must drive during severe weather, treat flashing red and non-operational traffic lights as a four-way stop.

GDOT preparations for Helene

GDOT has more than 300 employees in District 3, which includes Columbus, ready to deploy for storm prep and cleanup, Snider said.

The department is working In partnership with the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, the National Weather Service, state and local officials, she said.

“If you must travel and encounter a Georgia DOT vehicle or crew out on the roadways,” Snider said, “please give them the space to accomplish their critically important tasks safely.”

This storm will affect most of the state, Snider said, so GDOT doesn’t expect a rush of Florida residents evacuating to Georgia.

For more safety tips, read GDOT’s hurricane season guide online.