the government of Cuba issued a tropical storm warning for the provinces of Isla de la Juventud, Havana, and Pinar del Río, as well as for the city of Havana. United States About 21 hours before Helene made landfall, the NHC issued a tropical storm warning from the border of Louisiana and Mississippi to the mouth of the Aucilla River along the Florida Panhandle. Six hours later, the agency also issued a hurricane watch from the border of Florida and Alabama to the mouth of the Aucilla River. The day before the storm moved ashore, local American Red Cross chapters had 18 emergency shelters on standby to house storm evacuees. One shelter opened in Tallahassee and one in Apalachicola. About 130 people evacuated to shelters in the western portion of the Florida panhandle and planes evacuated military bases in the region. Government buildings were closed in Okaloosa, and schools were closed in Okaloosa, Walton, and Santa Rosa counties. Despite being a weak tropical cyclone at landfall, Tropical Storm Helene caused $16 million in damage (2000 USD). In Alabama, wind gusts reached at Brookley Air Force Base in Mobile; the same station recorded the highest rainfall in the state, with a total of . The storm also caused minor beach erosion and coastal damage along Dauphin Island. In neighboring Florida, the storm dropped heavy rainfall along the panhandle, peaking at in Apalachicola. The rains caused flooding, notably in Franklin, Wakulla, and Leon counties, all of which closed schools and public buildings. Flood warnings were issued for areas affected by Tropical Storm Gordon five days prior. High rainfall caused the Sopchoppy River to exceed its banks and reach a record crest of , breaking the previous record set in 1970. Several homes and nearby roads were flooded near the river. About 100 homes were flooded in Leon County, and 70 streets were flooded in Tallahassee. Portions of U.S. Highway 98 were flooded in Port St. Joe and near Carrabelle. About 70 people had to evacuate their homes due to the flooding. Flooding was minimal in the western Florida panhandle due to drought conditions the previous summer. Sustained winds across the state peaked at , though gusts reached at Cape San Blas. At that location, there was over $100,000 in road damage and beach loss. The winds combined with the heavy rainfall caused trees to fall onto power lines, leaving about 5,000 people