Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and its outpatient locations will be open during normal business hours on Wednesday, but the hospital will begin to put precautions in effect to prepare for Hurricane Helene.

Hurricane Helene is moving rapidly through the Gulf of Mexico and potentially could create storm surge, flooding and bridge closures in the Tampa Bay area. Johns Hopkins All Children’s is not a public shelter. The Emergency Center will remain open.

Inpatient families will be asked to limit visitation to one family member who can stay with the patient for the duration of the storm. That person should be present by 7 a.m. Thursday when the hospital will lock down. Families should be aware that bridge closures may affect travel. After lockdown, no one will be able to enter or leave until the storm is safely past.

The hospital will postpone non-emergent surgeries scheduled for Thursday and the surgical schedule for Friday may be affected. Hospital staff will be in touch with families about their individual cases as the storm’s impact becomes clearer.

The Fort Myers outpatient location will remain open on Thursday, but other locations will offer only telemedicine. Hospital staff will be in touch with patient families about that option. The hospital will evaluate the impact of the storm before determining Friday’s schedules.