Series of images - man with sandbang, boat wrapped up, woman takes down flags. This is the prep done by Tampa Convention Centre to ready for Hurricane Helene before IBEX

IBEX organisers are bracing themselves for the fallout from Hurricane Helene which has caused devastation in parts of the USA.

Last night, prior to Helene making landfall, IBEX said it was monitoring the situation and would issue an update today (27 September) for registrants, exhibitors, and partners.

Tampa – where the International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition & Conference is held – was hit two years ago by the ferocity of Hurricane Ian. At the point, IBEX cancelled the show, and the resulting devastation in and around the Tampa area proved that this had absolutely been the right call.

Now exhibitors and visitors will be keen to understand what will happen to this year’s show which is due to start in just four days time, especially when videos of the storm surge show a phenomenal amount of water.

Tampa Convention Centre shared a video (via social media) showing the work it was doing to protect the venue for IBEX (the main image above is made from stills from this film).

But with footage like this coming in from USA news outlets, will the centre’s preparation be enough?

Cedar Key, a small coastal community north of Tampa, experienced one of the highest rises in water levels overnight, reporting a surge of more than 10 feet says Fox Weather. In nearby Steinhatchee, photos showed mobile homes being tossed around in a storm surge estimated to be greater than eight feet.

Deep water ripples across road in Tampa, home of IBEXImage courtesy of Tampa Police Department

Police warn social media creators who fancy an adventure in Hurricane Helene

Police vehicle in water on road in Tampa as Hurricane Helene threatens to cancel IBEX

Yesterday Tampa Police Department issued a statement saying that the storm surge was expected to peak just before 3am, last night. It went on to warn against taking ‘amateur adventure’s through the flooded downtown area.

“Between now and sunrise this is NOT the time to ‘white water raft’ on Bayshore Blvd,” the department said on a social media post.

“While these images might be interesting to see, this is NOT your sign to record or photograph your next viral video. This is your sign to STAY INSIDE.”

Hurricane Helene gathers force and batters coast with waves as Tampa is hit and IBEX future uncertainImage courtesy of Tampa Police Department

Before Helene hit, the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office warned people who did not evacuate to write their contact information on either an arm or leg so that victims could be identified once the hurricane passed.

Near to IBEX, Aquafences in place to protect hospital buildings

While the Tampa Convention Centre will be expected to release a statement in tandem with IBEX (keep up to date with the show’s latest news via MIN), officials will be surveying the damage at Tampa General Hospital (about three minutes drive from the boating convention) as soon as the sun is up. The hospital tested its flood defence barrier overnight.

“VERY impressive,” says one social media user about the hospital’s defences. “For those unfamiliar with the area, there’s a road underneath all that water. And that metal railing is where the SEAWALL is for the island the hospital sits on. Those AquaFence barriers are incredible!”

Local media said drivers were prevented from going across the bridges to and from Davis Islands, as they’d face water deluges similar to the footage below.

OneWater Marine expects to be hit by Hurricane Helene, warning of lower September sales

Earlier this week OneWater Marine’s 26 Gulf Coast locations started preparing, as the region braced for landfall. An additional 21 locations in Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina are expected to see significant weather and flooding over the weekend as well. It’s already saying that September sales will be lower than anticipated, and the company now expects its full year results to come in at the bottom or slightly below previously issued guidance.

“First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in the path of Helene,” says Austin Singleton, CEO at OneWater. “We are closely monitoring the hurricane and are taking all necessary precautionary measures to ensure the safety of our employees, customers, and communities.

“Earlier this week, we put our hurricane disaster plan into action and implemented safety protocols to mitigate losses and protect assets. Additionally, insurance carriers have placed moratoriums on writing new policies in certain geographies preventing customers from binding insurance on boats they are looking to purchase.

“While these procedures and moratoriums are temporary, our fourth quarter sales will be negatively impacted. For affected locations outside the direct path of the storm, we expect to recover these sales in the first part of fiscal year 2025. In the meantime, we remain committed to executing our long-term strategy and we are focused on factors within our control to minimise disruption, resuming operations when it is deemed safe.”

For now it remains to be seen what the fallout will be for this year’s IBEX.

Watch: Flood waters and horrific damage as Hurricane Ian wrecks Florida

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