atlanta events tagged interest

Major events are being canceled in Atlanta in anticipation of the fallout from Hurricane Helene.

Two major events that will be impacted by the storm are the Park in Piedmont Park, which is now canceled, and the Bill Foege Global Health Awards presented by MAP International — both planned for Thursday evening.

Meanwhile, Georgia Power is taking an all-hands-on-deck approach to the oncoming storm, according to Kim Greene, president and CEO of the Georgia Power Co.

Already, Gov. Brian Kemp has issued a state of emergency for Georgia in advance of Hurricane Helene, which is supposed to hit landfall on the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 3 hurricane Thursday evening.

Greene addressed the board of the Georgia Research Alliance Wednesday at the end of its quarterly meeting Wednesday morning, sharing the latest info she had just received. She also shared her cell number with board members if they needed to reach out to her over the next couple of days.

Greene said Atlanta was on the path to be in the eye of the storm — Thursday night and Friday morning — when it is expected to be a major tropical storm.

“The worst part of Atlanta will be at 6 a.m. Friday morning,” Greene said. “We have called on our friends and neighbors [other utility companies to be on standby to help.] We have asked for more resources. It will be a big response with recovery efforts.”

According to weather forecasts, Greene said the projections of the storm’s path is one of the narrowest “spaghetti models we have seen.” She expressed particular concern about Valdosta, which already has been hit by three major storms this year.

In a follow-up email, Georgia Power Spokesman John Kraft said the company is urging people to prepare for the storm before it enters the state. Kraft shared safety tips for its customers.

Kraft also said the company’s recent investments in Smart Grid technology and increased automation will allow the company to better isolate outages and offer greater reliability to customers.

The Piedmont Park Conservancy wrote in an email advisory that “we have decided to make the difficult decision to CANCEL the in-person element of Party for Piedmont Park” on the evening of Sept. 26 for the safety of its guests, vendors and staff. The event would have celebrated the 120th birthday of Piedmont Park and the 35th anniversary of the Piedmont Park Conservancy. Guest refunds will be offered.

Meanwhile, Doug Widener, president and CEO of the Piedmont Park Conservancy, wrote in a text that party planners would continue with the virtual silent auction of the event. To bid on the various items, people can click on this link. The online auction will continue until the end of Monday, Sept. 30.

The Conservancy thanked the sponsors of Party for Piedmont Park including Presenting Sponsor — the Speedwell Foundation, and its Parking Sponsor — Bank of America.

Another major event that has decided to postpone its major fundraiser is MAP International’s annual Bill Foege Global Health Awards at the Delta Flight Museum.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Map International had not yet decided when to reschedule the event, which was to feature a conversation with Bill Foege, the dean of global health in Atlanta and the United States. The event had intended to honor Dr. Jim Yong Kim, vice chairman and chair of emerging markets for Global Infrastructure Partners. Kim is a former president of the World Bank. Former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura Bush, also were to be honored with the Bill Foege Award. They were going to accept the award in pre-recorded remarks.

Many other organizations also were canceling events and meetings planned for Thursday and Friday.