Hurricane Helene heads toward Florida – what you need to know

Florida A state of emergency has been declared in 41 of the state’s 67 counties as Hurricane Helene moves west from the Caribbean.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Tropical Storm Helene has become the eighth named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, and state officials are warning visitors and residents to be prepared before the storm strengthens.

The last update The Weather Channel forecasts Tropical Storm Helene “will strengthen into a large and dangerous hurricane before reaching Florida’s Gulf Coast on Thursday night.”

If you are traveling somewhere potentially affectedHere’s what you need to know.

In addition, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Several storm surge warnings have been issued for Florida’s Gulf Coast.

At the time of publication, the storm was located about 200 miles southeast of Cozumel. Cancun, Mexico.

Unfortunately, you cannot automatically assume that you will be able to cancel your trip and receive compensation for this potential storm. Square MouthProvides comparisons of travel insurance plans from major travel insurance providers in the US.

If your hotel is still open and operating, you will still be responsible for paying for your reservation, assuming you did not book a refundable rate. The only time a hotel will cancel for you is if an approaching storm makes your hotel uninhabitable or if there is no electricity or running water.

Even if your hotel and airline reservations are non-refundable, it’s still worth calling to see if there’s a recourse. For example, try contacting your airline to see if you can get an earlier or later flight to your destination.

Make sure to check your airline’s website, as they may offer exemptions to change flights at affected airports for free. At the time of writing, American Airlines And United Airlines Exemptions for travel have been issued until Friday.

Once a tropical storm or hurricane is named, it’s too late to buy travel insuranceSuch is the case with Helene.

That’s why travel insurance experts recommend getting travel insurance when booking a trip to places at risk of being hit by storms, especially during hurricane season.

Otherwise it may be too late.

If you have already purchased travel insurance, be aware that insurance plans vary in coverage, including trip cancellation coverage, trip interruption coverage, trip delay coverage, and baggage loss and delay coverage.

This also applies to the following situation: credit cards with travel delay insuranceThis may or may not apply to weather events such as hurricanes.