NWF Beaches Airport in Bay County 'battening down the hatches' ahead of Helene

PANAMA CITY BEACH — As Tropical Storm Helene approaches the Florida coast, the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP) is taking safety precautions to protect passengers.

As of Tuesday morning, Parker McClellan, executive director of the airport, said crews were busy "battening down the hatches" of the facility, which is located in Bay County of State 79, north of Panama City Beach. This included clearing active construction sites of debris.

"From an airport perspective, we are in the process of making sure that with the unpredictability of storms, we are prepared in the event of a waver or wobble (in its path)," McClellan said. "We anticipate based on the present movement of the storm that we may just have some delays."

Jasmine Montgomery, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Tallahassee, said Tuesday that Bay County residents can expect tropical storm-force winds and between about 4 inches to 8 inches inches of rain from Helene.

Tropical Storm Helene forms: Bay County faces threats of wind, heavy rain

It is forecast to strengthen to Category 3 storm before making landfall Thursday evening near the Big Bend area.

"Bay County is currently under a tropical storm watch," Montgomery said. "With the amount of rain, we're also under a flood watch starting Wednesday evening going through Friday morning."

Though the forecast still is evolving, Montgomery does not believe the storm's path will shift enough to bring catastrophic impacts to Bay County.

That said, she and McClellan believe those in Bay County should be on the lookout for updates.

More on the storm: Bay District Schools will update the public on its plans for Helene at noon

McClellan said airport officials posted alerts on social media to remind passengers to diligently check their airlines' websites for potential flight delays or cancellations.

"We (hope) there will be minimal impacts to the airport based on the projected path of the storm," he said.

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: NWF Beaches Airport in Bay County 'battening down the hatches' ahead of Helene