Pictures: Florida prepares for Hurricane Helene

The Seminole County Office of Emergency Management Director Alan Harris gives the latest information about Hurricane Helene, the threat of flooding with grounds already saturated from recent rainfall, and other preparations underway in Sanford, Fla., Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

A traffic advisory sign on westbound S.R. 408 near downtown Orlando informs commuters of the approaching Hurricane Helene, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

Dave McCurley boards up the windows to his home in advance of Hurricane Helene in Ochlockonee Bay, Fla., Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Bo Manausa , right, and his friend Josh Simmons pull a boat out of the water ahead of Hurricane Helene, expected to make landfall Thursday evening, in Alligator Point, Fla., Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, second from right, speaks to linemen before a news conference, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, at the Tampa Electric Company offices in Tampa, Fla., as Hirricane Helene moves north along Mexico’s coast toward the U.S. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

People bag sand in preparation for possible flooding on Sept. 25, 2024 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

Residents fill sandbags at the Orange County distribution site at Barnett Park in Orlando, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, ahead of the forecast for the possibility of heavy rains in Central Florida.(Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

Paulette and Ben McLin take in the scene outside their summer home ahead of Hurricane Helene, expected to make landfall on Thursday evening, in Alligator Point, Fla., Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. Their family has owned the home since it was built in 1963, and she is concerned this particular storm may impact them more severely than previous storms. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Jerry McCullen, top of ladder left, and Carson Baze, top of ladder right, put plywood over the windows of a house ahead of Hurricane Helene, expected to make landfall Thursday evening, in Alligator Point, Fla., Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Denis Keeran of Maitland fills a sandbag at the Orange County distribution site at Barnett Park in Orlando, Tuesday, September 24, 2024, ahead of the forecast for the possibility of heavy rains in Central Florida. Tropical storm Helene is predicted to become a Category 3 hurricane with landfall in the Florida panhandle on Thursday. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

Residents fill sandbags at Helen Howarth Park ahead of the possible arrival of Hurricane Helene on Sept. 25, 2024 in Pinellas Park, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Tallahassee State professor Pamela Andrews carriers sand bags to a car in preparation for possible flooding, on Sept. 25, 2024 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

Owners secure their boats at the Davis Islands Yacht Club ahead of Hurricane Helene Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Will Marx cleans up remodeling debris in advance of Hurricane Helene in Panacea, Fla., Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Storm clouds are seen on the horizon as the sun sets on Sept. 24, 2024 in St. Pete Beach, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)