TALLAHASSEE, FL (352today.com/AP) – Gov. Ron DeSantis provided updates Sunday afternoon on Tropical Storm Idalia and the state’s efforts to prepare for the impact.
TRACKING IDALIA
Tropical Storm Idalia formed Sunday off the coast of Mexico on a potential track to come ashore as a hurricane in Florida, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
At 11 p.m. Sunday, the storm was about 145 miles south of the western tip of Cuba with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph.
Hurricanes have winds of 74 mph and above.
Forecasters said they expected Idalia to become a hurricane by Monday in the Gulf of Mexico and then curve northeast toward the west coast of Florida.
The latest NHC forecast track for Idalia has it making landfall on Wednesday with winds of up to 100 mph. That would make it a Category 2 hurricane.
Along a vast stretch of Florida’s west coast, up to 11 feet of ocean water could surge on shore, raising fears of destructive flooding.
STATE PREPARES
At a Sunday afternoon briefing, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis noted that much uncertainty remains in the forecast. “This thing hasn’t even gotten to Cuba yet, and the water in the Gulf is very, very warm and so that will provide some fuel for this thing to pick up some more speed,” DeSantis said.
The governor was joined by Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) Executive Director Kevin Guthrie and Florida National Guard Major General John D. Haas at the State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) for the briefing which was streamed live on the governor’s Facebook page.
Thirty-three of Florida’s 67 counties are under a state of emergency as of Saturday.
“If you are in the path of this storm, you should expect power outages,” DeSantis added. “So please prepare for that, particularly if this storm ends up coming in the Tallahassee region, there’s a lot trees that are going to get knocked down, the power lines are going to get knocked down – that is just going to happen, so just be prepared for that and be able to do what you need to do.”
Florida emergency officials on Sunday urged you to keep your vehicle gas tanks at least half-full in case they need to evacuate. “This will ensure you can evacuate tens of miles inland to a safe location should the need arise,” the Florida Division of Emergency Management said on social media.
Florida’s 511 Traveler Information System is available for you to stay informed about roadway conditions during emergencies. This service is updated by the Florida Department of Transportation and includes traffic conditions, road and bridge closures, and other specialized alerts. To use Florida’s 511, visit the website or download the app.
Florida has mobilized 1,100 National Guard members, and “they have at their disposal 2,400 high-water vehicles, as well as 12 aircraft that can be used for rescue and recovery efforts,” said DeSantis.
The governor said they would be staging many of the resources in Marion County – a central location – to deploy in the aftermath of the storm.