- November 22, 2024
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Ormond Beach is not in the path of Tropical Storm Helene, but county officials are still advising residents to be prepared for its impacts.
The National Hurricane Center forecasted the storm to intensify into a hurricane on Wednesday, rapidly strengthening into a Category 3 by Thursday. Helene is expected to make landfall in the Big Bend coast of Florida late Thursday.
“While the storm is again, on the west side of the state, it’s going to be a very large storm, with a very large wind field,” Volusia County Emergency Management Director Clint Mecham said in a video on Facebook.
A Tropical Storm Watch has been issued for Volusia County by the National Weather Service.
The latest forecast indicates a slight westward shift in the storm's path. Volusia County is now expected to experience sustained winds below tropical storm strength and gusts up to 60 mph. Rainfall totals are forecasted to range between 2-4 inches, accompanied by 3- to 4-foot breaking waves and minimal storm surge. Rain bands and increasing wind speeds are likely to affect the area later today.
All classes have been canceled at Volusia County Schools on Thursday, and the district canceled all after-school activities for Wednesday, except the Extended Day program.
Hurricane season will run through Nov. 30. Here are a few reminders from the county to stay prepared for any future storms:
Volusia County Schools is looking to rezone students for the 2025-2026 school year to address overcapacity, and a few parents spoke at the School Board meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 24, to voice concern about one of the proposals: Moving 129 students currently zoned for Pine Trail Elementary to Holly Hill School.
The families affected reside in neighborhoods south of Division Avenue, between U.S. 1 and South Nova Road, to the city limits. The three parents who spoke before the board were concerned that their students would be moved from an “A” school (Pine Trail) to a “C” school (Holly Hill) in the rezoning.
“It’s fantastic to have growth ... but we need to deal with it without destroying established long-standing communities, like that of south Ormond Beach, which also happens to be an area that is lower income, more diversity, more marginalized,” Ormond Beach resident Anna Boyka said.
The rezoning, she added, would erase the efforts of families who worked hard to buy a home in a neighborhood zoned for an “A” school.
A rezoning would create impacts beyond the school, Ormond Beach resident Megan Kiger said. She was told by her children’s daycare that it doesn’t pick up from Holly Hill, leading her to need to find a new facility if the rezoning takes place.
Resident Sarah Colby proposed a petition be allowed for families to voice their concerns.
“My husband and I worked very hard to purchase a home that was zoned for Pine Trail and we’re unhappy to hear of the change,” she said.
All outdoor and after-school programs at the city of Ormond Beach’s Leisure Services facilities have been canceled until Friday, Sept. 27.
The cancellation is due to Tropical Storm Helene, which is predicted to strengthen into a hurricane.
The Ormond Beach Police Department will hold a National Night Out event from 5-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 1, at The Casements and Rockefeller Gardens.
The first 500 people will get a free hot dog. There will be food trucks, vendors, bounce houses, a petting zoo, face painting and more.
The Ormond Beach City Commission will hold its next meeting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 2.
The meeting was rescheduled due to National Night Out.
