Hurricane Helene is headed toward Florida — here’s what you need to know

Florida declared a state of emergency in 41 of the state’s 67 counties ahead of Hurricane Helene’s potential landfall as it moves west through the Caribbean.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Tropical Storm Helene is the eighth storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, and state officials are warning travelers and residents to prepare as the storm strengthens.

The latest update The Weather Channels predicts that Tropical Storm Helene will strengthen “into a major, dangerous hurricane before hitting Florida’s Gulf Coast Thursday night.”

If you are traveling to a destination likely to be affectedHere’s what you need to know.

This is where the storm is headed

Tropical storm warnings have been issued for parts of the Yucatan Peninsula, western Cuba and Grand Cayman, signaling the possibility of tropical storm and hurricane conditions within the next 36-48 hours.

Besides, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Multiple 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, south of Cancun, Mexico.

How to reschedule your trip

If you’re planning to visit one of the destinations mentioned above this week or next, you’re probably wondering how this will affect your trip.

Unfortunately, you can’t assume that you’ll automatically be able to cancel your trip and get reimbursed for this potential storm, according to Square mouthProvides comparison information on travel insurance plans from major providers in the United States.

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

Even if your hotel or airline reservations are non-refundable, you should still call to see if there is a way around it. For example, try contacting your airline to see if you can book an earlier or later flight to your intended destination.

Be sure to check your airline’s website as they may offer waivers to change flights for free at affected airports. At the time of writing, American Airlines And United Airlines has issued a travel waiver through Friday.

Can you still buy travel insurance?

Once a tropical storm or hurricane has been named, it is too late to buy travel insuranceThat was the case with Helene.

Therefore, travel insurance experts recommend purchasing travel insurance when booking a trip, especially to hurricane-prone destinations during hurricane season.

Otherwise, it may be too late.

If you’ve purchased travel insurance in advance, know that plans vary in coverage, including trip cancellation, trip interruption, trip delay, and baggage loss and delay.

This is also the case with credit cards with flight delay insurancemay or may not apply to weather phenomena such as hurricanes.

The last line

If you act quickly enough, you may be able to salvage some trips to Florida this week as Hurricane Helene could cause disruption.

While you are not guaranteed anything beyond the terms and conditions stated in your travel reservation and the credit card you used to book your trip, you can still contact the airline, hotel or credit card company directly for assistance.

For more helpful tips on how to travel during hurricane season, read: