CBS News
Hurricane Helene is snarling travel in Florida, while some stores and theme parks are closing
As Hurricane Helene moves over the eastern Gulf of Mexico early Thursday morning and nears landfall in Florida’s Big Bend coast, travel across Florida is facing major disruptions, with several airports closing ahead of the storm and airlines canceling hundreds of flights.
Some store locations are closing or modifying their hours ahead of Hurricane Helene, including grocery store chains such as Publix, as well as theme parks such as Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Walt Disney World, with the latter closing some parts of its park on Thursday.
Helene is strengthening over the Gulf’s warm waters, picking up to maximum sustained winds of 100 miles per hour. That made it a Category 2 hurricane as of Thursday morning, according to the hurricane center. At least two airports, including Tampa International Airport, halted operations early Thursday morning ahead of Helene’s approach, and advised travelers to monitor weather reports and check with their airlines about potential disruptions.
The Tampa International Airport “anticipates reopening Friday following a damage assessment that will begin as soon as it is safe to do so,” the airport said, noting it suspended all operations beginning at 2 a.m. ET on Thursday.
As of 10 a.m. ET on Thursday, more than 200 flights out of Tampa International had been canceled, according to flight tracker FlightAware. Other airports with multiple flight cancellations include:
- Southwest Florida International near Fort Myers
- Hartsfield-Jackson International near Atlanta
- Sarasota/Bradenton International near Sarasota, Florida
- St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport in Florida
The St. Pete-Clearwater airport said on its website that it was closed on Thursday, with plans to reopen on Friday morning. Sarasota/Bradenton airport said it was still open as of Thursday morning, but advised travelers to check with their airlines directly for flight status.
Southwest Florida International noted that Air Canada, American, Breeze, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit, Sun Country, United and WestJet had canceled their flights to the airport on Thursday.
Fort Lauderdale airport
The Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport was open as of 10 a.m. on Thursday morning, with the airport saying in a social media post that it is monitoring Hurricane Helene as it moves closer to the state’s Panhandle.
“While Broward County is not in the storm’s direct path, we could see some bad weather here,” the airport noted. The Fort Lauderdale airport “is open and operational, but if you’re traveling today, check with your airline.”
Is Publix open today?
Most of the more than 1,300 Publix locations remain open, although there are some locations that have modified their hours due to Hurricane Helene, the company said. About 65 locations have changed their hours as of Thursday morning, with most of those stores located near the Gulf Coast or in the Panhandle of Florida.
“We are monitoring the storm closely and hours may be adjusted, and the status of individual stores is subject to change based on the storm’s path and projected impacts,” a Publix spokeswoman told CBS News.
Customers can check this Publix website for their local store’s status.
Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando
Some institutions such as museums and theme parks were also closed or changing their hours due to the approaching storm.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay said it was closed on Thursday due to the storm.
Walt Disney World, located in Orlando, said it is currently operating, but said some parts of the park will be canceled or unavailable on September 26. Those include Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park and the miniature golf courses at Walt Disney World Resort.
Disney World said it was also canceling Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party on Thursday, September 26, and providing a refund to ticket holders.
Universal Orlando said it was also closing some parts of its park, including Universal Volcano Bay, on September 26. It noted that Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, Halloween Horror Nights and its hotels are operating normally.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Renad Atallah is an unlikely internet sensation: a 10-year-old chef, with a repertoire of simple recipes, cooking in war-torn Gaza. She has nearly a million followers on Instagram, who’ve witnessed her delight as she unpacks parcels of food aid.
CBS News
We interviewed Renad via satellite, though we were just 50 miles away, in Tel Aviv. [Israel doesn’t allow outside journalists into Gaza, except on brief trips with the country’s military.]
“There are a lot of dishes I’d like to cook, but the ingredients aren’t available in the market,” Renad told us. “Milk used to be easy to buy, but now it’s become very expensive.”
I asked, “How does it feel when so many people like your internet videos?”
“All the comments were positive,” she said. “When I’m feeling tired or sad and I want something to cheer me up, I read the comments.”
We sent a local camera crew to Renad’s home as she made Ful, a traditional Middle Eastern bean stew. Her older sister Noorhan says they never expected the videos to go viral. “Amazing food,” Noorhan said, who added that her sibling made her “very surprised!”
After more than a year of war, the Gaza Strip lies in ruins. Nearly everyone has been displaced from their homes. The United Nations says close to two million people are experiencing critical levels of hunger.
Hamada Shaqoura is another chef showing the outside world how Gazans are getting by, relying on food from aid packages, and cooking with a single gas burner in a tent.
Shaqoura also volunteers with the charity Watermelon Relief, which makes sweet treats for Gaza’s children.
In his videos online, Shaqoura always appears very serious. Asked why, he replied, “The situation does not call for smiling. What you see on screen will never show you how hard life is here.”
Before dawn one recent morning in Israel, we watched the UN’s World Food Program load nearly two dozen trucks with flour, headed across the border. The problem is not a lack of food; the problem is getting the food into the Gaza Strip, and into the hands of those who desperately need it.
The UN has repeatedly accused Israel of obstructing aid deliveries to Gaza. Israel’s government denies that, and claims that Hamas is hijacking aid.
“For all the actors that are on the ground, let the humanitarians do their work,” said Antoine Renard, the World Food Program’s director in the Palestinian territories.
I asked, “Some people might see these two chefs and think, well, they’re cooking, they have food.”
“They have food, but they don’t have the right food; they’re trying to accommodate with anything that they can find,” Renard said.
Even in our darkest hour, food can bring comfort. But for many in Gaza, there’s only the anxiety of not knowing where they’ll find their next meal.
For more info:
Story produced by Mikaela Bufano. Editor: Carol Ross.
See also:
“Sunday Morning” 2024 “Food Issue” recipe index
Delicious menu suggestions from top chefs, cookbook authors, food writers, restaurateurs, and the editors of Food & Wine magazine.
