⛈️ Helene's here

⛈️ Friday's here! But so is Helene.

Today's weather: Tropical storm conditions to move out by tonight. Mostly sunny weekend ahead with highs in the upper 70s.

• 🗓 Plan your post-storm Saturday with our weekend events guide.

🎂 Happy birthday to our Axios Atlanta member Melissa Libby! And happy early birthday to members Will Bradley and Jen Barich!

Situational awareness: 🏈 The NFL is reportedly set to tap Atlanta to host the 2028 Super Bowl. (SBJ)

Today's newsletter is 932 words — a 3.5-minute read.

Helene is now a tropical storm as it sweeps across Georgia. Metro Atlanta is contending with dangerous flooding and the ongoing threat of powerful wind gusts.

Right now: Nearly 44,000 Georgia Power customers in the Atlanta area — and nearly 900,000 overall Georgians — were without power as of 6:30am. (Outage map.)

• The storm's center was just east of Macon at 6am, and it's expected to move northwest from there over Athens. The Atlanta area faces potential winds of between 58 and 73 mph this morning, NWS says.
• More than 100 flights to and from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport have been canceled today, according to 11Alive, and nearly 100 delays have been reported.

Zoom in: Flooding is a big concern here this morning. Peachtree Creek is experiencing what NOAA says is near record flooding, adding that "massive evacuations" were needed as water entered businesses and homes along surrounding streets.

• At Peachtree Apartments on Peachtree Park Drive, WSB reports that crews were conducting boat rescues for residents.

Zoom out: At least three people died in Georgia overnight as a result of the storm, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

• Tropical storm warnings are still in effect across most of Georgia, plus parts of north Florida, all of South Carolina and western North Carolina.

The big picture: Helene made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region as a Category 4 storm just after 11pm last night, unleashing an unprecedented 15- to 20-foot storm surge. More than a million Florida residents were without power, and many homes flooded, Axios Tampa Bay reports. Go deeper.

What's next: Downed trees and power lines as well as continued flooding are likely in Atlanta, forecasters at the NWS Peachtree City office say.

• Then, good news: Conditions will quickly clear up this afternoon. Winds will weaken, the rain will stop, and the sun will come back out.

What we're watching: President Biden approved Gov. Brian Kemp's request for a federal disaster declaration yesterday — unlocking assistance for storm response, including support from FEMA.

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Atlanta's no stranger to devastating tropical storms and spin-offs from hurricanes. But a storm of Helene's strength is rare.

How it works: While hurricanes tend to weaken as they move inland, Helene's large size and unusually fast rate of speed allowed it to zip through Florida and Georgia without sacrificing as much strength.

Threat level: Metro Atlanta is a "concrete jungle," Dylan Lusk, a meteorologist at the NWS's Peachtree City office, told Axios. When the ground gets too soaked, roads, parking lots and rooftops make a fast path for stormwater to flow into creeks and rivers. Downed trees and lost power then become inevitable.

• "Generally speaking, we know once winds start to get up towards that 50 to 60 mph mark, that's when we're going to start to get kind of concerned," Lusk said. "When those winds whip trees for multiple hours on end, that only increases your chance of failure at some point."

Flashback: Major storms that have impacted metro Atlanta include:

• Irma (2017): More than 1.5 million people in Georgia lost power — some for several days — and two people died in north Georgia as a result of falling trees, per the National Weather Service.
• Opal (1995): 4,000 trees fell in metro Atlanta during this storm, including an ancient oak at Piedmont Hospital, according to the AJC.

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Also: Hurricane Helene could rewrite storm history in the South

When Helene moves out, post-storm cleanup will begin. And that could take some time.

Why it matters: All that mess could pose its own risks.

🚨 Emergencies: If you or anyone else is injured or in a life-threatening situation, call 911.

☎️ 311: Atlanta residents can call 311 to report downed trees (with no injuries), broken traffic signals, roadway obstructions, flooding or clogged basins.

• You can contact 311 via phone (dial 311 or 404-546-0311), email or the ATL311 app.

🏠 Shelter: The Georgia Department of Natural Resources' state parks division has facilities available for displaced people. Visit GEMA's website for a list of shelters.

🐶 Pets: The Georgia Department of Agriculture has resources for people with displaced pets, horses and livestock. Interactive map.

⚡️ Downed lines: Contact Georgia Power at 1-888-891-0938.

🔌 Power outages: Let Georgia Power know you have lost power via this form.

🛜 Internet, TV or phone outage: Contact your service provider.

Enhanced rider verification, better navigation tools, and more rider accountability are just a few of the Uber Driver app's latest features.

The idea: These changes are aimed at making the things drivers and couriers do every day safer, fairer and easier.

Check out all the new features.

Football fans have the opportunity to blow off post-storm steam as both the Georgia Bulldogs and the Atlanta Falcons face off against big time rivals.

State of play: UGA is heading to Tuscaloosa to face the Alabama Crimson Tide Saturday night and the Falcons are hosting the much hated New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

UGA: Alabama and Georgia have been the unquestioned kings of the SEC for the past decade with either team winning nine of the past 10 conference championships.

• UGA is a two-point favorite, according to ESPN Bet. Kickoff is at 7:30pm Saturday on ABC.

Falcons: After dropping their first two home games of the season, the Falcons are looking for their first win in Atlanta. This is also Atlanta's first division game of the season.

• The Saints are off to a surprising 2-1 start. Kickoff is at 1pm Sunday on Fox.

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✏️ Pencil in an upcoming event.

Avant South at Exhibition Hall, Georgia Institute of Technology on October 7:

• Avant South returns to Georgia Tech. Join to explore innovation, tech, and culture with experts shaping the future of media, sports, arts, and more!

Hosting an event? Email local-events@axios.com.

Carpet giant Shaw Industries will lay off roughly 300 workers when it closes a 57-year-old plant in Dalton. (AJC)

🗳️ Georgia Democrats are suing Gov. Kemp to force an ethics investigation into the State Election Board members who rushed through several eleventh-hour rule changes. (AJC)

💡 An effort to reimagine and refresh Decatur Square is entering its final round of public input. (Urbanize)

Uber is stepping up its measures to keep drivers and couriers safe.

Here's how: The ability to see if a rider has gone through additional verification steps and use hands-free voice prompts are just a few of the app's latest features, designed to improve the driver experience.

Get all the deets.

📻 Kristal really should invest in a NOAA weather radio.

❤️ Thomas is encouraging folks to safely check in on their neighbors who are seniors or live alone.

This newsletter was edited by Jen Ashley.