OCALA, FL (352today.com) – The Marion County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) voted unanimously on Friday morning to execute a resolution declaring a local state of emergency ahead of a weather system developing in the Atlantic.
While Friday morning what’s known as Invest 97-L was an unorganized and undefined system, the National Weather Service forecast calls for it to become a tropical storm as it approaches Florida this weekend bringing with it the likelihood of heavy rain and flooding.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) Emergency Management Director Preston Bowlin made the request to execute a local state of emergency.
“Assuming the system moves toward our area, the earliest the local impacts would be felt would be Saturday (Aug. 3) night, or likely on Sunday (Aug. 4),” said Bowlin. “Impacts could continue into next week. There are two systems that are north of here in the northern United States that are working against each other as they are moving down, and there’s the potential that we’re worried about is that it gets squeezed in between those two systems and it stalls. That’s why the state is looking at this potentially being a three-or-four-day event, with multiple inches of rain.”
Emergency managers know the system can rapidly develop as moves over the extremely warm water of the Gulf of Mexico. That’s why MCSO is activating its emergency management operations.
“We want all of our citizens to be prepared, storm ready,” said Michelle Stone, Marion County BOCC chairwoman. “One of things that we know right now that this is a very fluid situation. We don’t have exact timelines. But it will be developing.”
Stone encourages Marion County residents to register for Alert Marion, a system that will send you notifications to your cellphone via text message, email, or phone call. It’s a free service but messaging rates may apply based on your cellphone plan.
Marion County will also post information on social media sites like Facebook.
Already, sandbag locations have been opened across the county. You can find updates for all of North Central Florida at our Hurricane Weather Center.
The county says they’re ready to respond to the variety of challenges that can accompany a storm – flooding, fallen trees, downed power lines.
“If any damage comes through, we have to employ our people to go out and do the values of the damage assessment,” said Jimmy Cowan, Marion County property appraiser. “We’re on alert all the time. So, any time there’s a storm, we go out there as soon as it’s safe to go out there.”
Marion County says the Florida Horse Park will be used as a staging location for state assets to be rapidly deployed, if needed.
“Public safety is one of most important jobs,” said Stone during the emergency meeting. “And the State of Florida feels the same way in making sure that all of our citizens are well prepared, and this way we’ll be able to respond should there be a need to in the future.”