Watch now: Thousands without power as Hurricane Helene hits region

Thousands of people are without power in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia as heavy rains and winds continue to impact the region.Below is a county-by-county breakdown of outages in Appalachian Power's coverage area, as of Friday afternoon.Sullivan County: 191 outage cases and 17,927 total customer outagesHawkins County: 37 outage cases and 3,676 total customer outagesScott County, VA: 93 outage cases and 11,090 total customer outages"As expected, remnants from Hurricane Helene are currently impacting our service territory, causing several power outages throughout Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee," a Friday afternoon news release from Appalachian Power states. "At 1:15 p.m. this afternoon, more than 243,000 customers were without power. Outage numbers could increase throughout the day as gusty winds and heavy rains pound our coverage area."More than 1,000 employees and contractors were assisting with storm restoration work, according to the release. Mutual assistance crews from Ohio, Indiana and Michigan are either in Appalachian Power's service territory now or headed this way. Crews from Oklahoma and Texas are expected to arrive Saturday.As of Friday afternoon, Holston Electric Cooperative reported more than 17,000 of its customers were also without power."Crews began working to restore service as soon as it was safe to do so, and they plan to continue working until all members have been reconnected, a notice on their website states. "All assets and resources are being utilized. Members should expect lengthy outage times due to broken poles, transformer replacements, and line repairs. Outages could span up to several days. Mutual aid has been requested from neighboring utilities that have available resources."{span id="docs-internal-guid-c275c187-7fff-2058-0b59-f4f3a2a318f5"}{span}An executive order by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee was issued Friday, declaring a "major disaster and state of emergency exist" in the state. The order remains in effect until 11:59 p.m. Central Time on Nov. 10.{/span}{/span}BMS opens campground for evacueesBristol Motor Speedway opened its Medallion Campground at 6 p.m. Friday free-of-charge for evacuees seeking refuge from Hurricane Helene, which is bringing high winds, heavy rain and flooding to the Southeast region.The speedway's Medallion campground is located off Highway 394 just minutes off of Interstate 81. Evacuees will have access to bathhouse facilities on speedway property.Shelter in place in Hawkins CountyA public safety alert for Hawkins County was sent Friday afternoon, telling residents to shelter in place. The alert also urged residents to stay away from downed power lines, which can cause injury or death due to generator back feed.Temporary shelter in Scott CountyScott County declared a local emergency due to effects of weather conditions related to Hurricane Helene, according to a Facebook post on the Scott County E-911 Facebook page. An emergency shelter has been established at the Community Services Building, located at 190 Beech St. in Gate City.Officials request that E-911 calls be limited to true emergencies, as the emergency dispatch center is overwhelmed at this time.Schools closedKingsport City Schools, Sullivan County Schools, Hawkins County Schools and Scott County Schools were all closed on Friday due to the severe weather.Ballad HealthBallad Health activated its Corporate Emergency Operations Center Friday due to issues caused by severe weather. Ballad Health sent this list of hospital closures and system updates on Friday afternoon:Sycamore Shoals Hospital closedSycamore Shoals Hospital in Elizabethton was evacuating patients and suspending operations, as of 3:45 p.m. Current patients are being transferred to other area hospitals.People who need care in the area should go to the next closest hospital or call 911.Unicoi County Hospital updateAt 9:38 a.m. on Friday, Ballad Health received notice from the Unicoi County Emergency Management Agency of a need to evacuate Unicoi County Hospital due to unusually high and rising water from the Nolichucky River.Ballad Health's Chief Medical Officer for the region was immediately on-scene to supervise the evacuation, and the evacuation of 11 patients commenced. Unicoi County leaders deployed ambulances; however, the flooding of the property happened so quickly, the ambulances could not safely approach the hospital.As of 12:27 p.m., 54 people were relocated to the roof of the building, and seven remain in rescue boats. The hospital has been engulfed by extremely dangerous and rapidly moving water.The situation at the hospital was considered "very dangerous," according to a news release from Ballad, and TEMA and National Guard resources were engaged in a rescue operation.Virginia State Police, with assets from Abingdon, were assisting with the evacuations Friday afternoon. The health system also worked with its Highlands Emergency Air Rescue & Transport (HEART) helicopter, which operates in partnership with MedTrans, and the Tennessee National Guard.As of 4:40 p.m. Friday, all hospital staff and patients had been rescued. Affected patients were transferred to Johnson City Medical Center, and their families have been updated.Elective surgeries postponedAll Ballad Health facilities are postponing all elective surgery cases. More details will be released as they develop.Ballad Health Medical Associates clinicsSeveral area clinics and urgent care offices have closed. Please call ahead before seeking care.City of Kingsport updatesMatthew Lane, communications specialist for the city of Kingsport, said trees are down all across the city. There is high water in areas that are usually impacted by heavy rains.The following roads were closed on Friday morning: Gravely Road at Shipp Springs Road and Ridgecrest Ave., Glen Eden Road from Stagecoach Road to Timberlake Road, and at Pactolus Road and Fort Henry Drive.National Weather Service updatesDerek Eisentrout, weather service representative for the National Weather Service Morristown, said the weather is "probably breaking a lot of records."He said wind gusts were as high as 52 miles per hour in the area on Friday, and there are numerous road closures and trees down.{!--EndFragment--}Below are rainfall totals for the last 48 hours:Hawkins County: 7 inchesKingsport: 5.7 inchesJohnson City: 5 inchesBristol: 5.25 inchesScott County: 6.15 inchesSafety tipsAAA issued safety tips Thursday afternoon for those who encounter dangerous weather while driving."The wet pavement can act as a slip and slide for your car, making it more difficult to control, with little notice," said Megan Cooper, spokeswoman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. "If you must drive during or immediately after a storm, please be sure to adjust your driving habits."Driving in the rainTry to avoid driving while the storm passes through. If you must be on the road, follow these safety tips:Turn your headlights on so you can see and be seen by other drivers.Slow down. New tires can still lose some contact with the roadway, even at speeds as low as 35 mph.Increase your following distance. Wet roads require more time to slow down and stop.Do not use cruise control. The chance of losing control of the vehicle increases when used on wet roads.Avoid hydroplaning by driving in the tracks of the vehicle in front of you and letting off the accelerator when approaching puddles. Also avoid hard braking or sharp turns.Never drive through standing water. It may be deeper than you think and concealing potholes, downed power lines, or other hazards that could damage your vehicle.When visibility is lowDo not drive with your hazard lights on. Hazard lights are meant to signify that your vehicle is disabled. Using them while driving could confuse other motorists.Get off the road. When driving on city streets, pull into a safe place like a gas station or grocery store parking lot to wait out the storm.Take the nearest exit. When driving on the interstate, don't just stop on the shoulder or under a bridge. If your visibility is compromised, other drivers may be struggling too.If your vehicle stalls in rising watersDo not attempt to restart the vehicle. This could cause further damage to the engine and components.Escape the vehicle immediately and move to higher ground or a safe location.If rising water surrounds your parked vehicleAssess the damage. The severity of the damage will depend on how high the water got. If the water was below the bottom of your doors, your car likely didn't sustain much damage.If water did rise above the bottom of your doors:Do not attempt to restart the vehicle. Doing so could allow water to get inside your engine, causing irreversible damage.Do not open the door until the water level is beneath the door jamb.If water entered the vehicle interior, use a wet vac to remove it.AAA encourages people who live in a flood-prone area to be proactive. Before severe weather strikes, consider parking your vehicle in a parking garage or at a friend's house until the weather passes.What to if your vehicle is damaged by flood watersTake photos and document any damage.Contact your insurance provider.Call AAA or a towing provider to take your vehicle to a qualified mechanic.Get the vehicle fully inspected to ensure it's safe to drive.Insurance coverage for storm-damaged vehiclesPhysical damage to a car — caused by heavy wind, flooding, or fallen tree limbs — is covered under the optional comprehensive portion of an auto policy.How to prepare your vehicle for severe weatherKnowing how to drive in severe weather is equally as important as ensuring your vehicle can perform in adverse conditions. AAA encourages drivers to see if the following items are in proper working order:Replace windshield wipers that leave streaks or don't clear the glass in a single swipe. Do not forget the wiper on your rear window if you have one. The life of a rubber insert is typically six to twelve months.Make sure all headlights, taillights, brake lights and turn signals are properly functioning to be sure other drivers will see you during downpours.Tire tread and inflation levels are imperative to maintaining good traction on the road. Check the tire pressures (including the spare) at least once a month when the tires are cold. Always follow the inflation pressure recommendations in your owner's manual, or those on the driver's door jamb.More PhotosTo view reader-submitted photos from Friday's storm, see pages B4-B5.