Gov. Ron DeSantis warned Floridians Monday morning to prepare for Tropical Storm Idalia to make landfall on Wednesday as a Category 3 Hurricane, with forecasts predicting the storm will strengthen as it moves up the Gulf of Mexico.
“This is going to be a major hurricane, this is going to be a powerful hurricane, and this is absolutely going to impact the state of Florida in many, many different ways,” DeSantis said during a morning press conference at the State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee.
DeSantis, who has pulled himself off the presidential campaign trail because of the storm crisis and Saturday’s deadly racist shooting in Jacksonville, urged all counties in Idalia’s path to activate their emergency operations centers and to request help from the state’s Division of Emergency Management if needed.
At the press conference focused on the storm, the governor also announced he would direct $1 million through the Volunteer Florida Foundation to Edward Waters University, a historical Black college (HBCU) in Jacksonville, for campus security and $100,000 to support the families of those killed, who have been identified as Angela Michelle Carr, 52, A.J. Laguerre, 19, and Jerrald Gallion, 29.
The university is thought to have been the shooter’s initial target before the murders at a Dollar General.
Storm strengthening
As Idalia is expected to become a hurricane on Monday, multiple counties on Florida’s Gulf Coast are under a storm surge watch or hurricane watch, according to an advisory from the National Hurricane Center.
The advisory warned of up to 12 inches of rain in North Florida, with urban and flash flooding along the state’s Panhandle and west coast.
DeSantis urged Floridians to heed evacuation orders from local authorities, which he said will be issued in low-lying Gulf Coast areas. He reminded Floridians that evacuation orders don’t require hours of travel or hundreds of miles of driving.
“You do not need to leave the state of Florida,” the governor said. “You basically need to go to higher ground.”
Orders are in place to secure emergency fuel stockpiles and ensure minimal power outages across the state, he said, and he signed an executive order Monday to expand the number of counties under a state of emergency from 33 to 46.
The counties include: Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lake, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Nassau, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, and Wakulla.
President Biden approved an emergency declaration for Florida on Monday, authorizing federal assistance to supplement local response efforts.
Storm surge
Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, stressed the importance of being prepared for storm surge, even for those who don’t see themselves in Idalia’s currently projected path.
“We have been talking a lot with meteorologists across the state, as well as emergency managers across the state, to make sure that individuals do not get stuck on the cone,” Guthrie said, referring to maps depicting the cone of probability for Idalia’s path. Damaging winds and flooding can occur hundreds of miles outside the cone.
“Storm surge can be life-threatening at just two to three feet. Some of these areas are going to experience storm surge well over seven feet,” Guthrie said.
Hernando County schools will be closed Monday, and Citrus and Levy County schools will be closed Tuesday, with additional counties expected to cancel school, DeSantis said.
According to a Sunday press release, the Florida National Guard is mobilizing 1,100 personnel, 2,400 high wheel vehicles, and 12 aircraft to provide support to threatened areas. Officers with Florida Fish and Wildlife will be prepared to deploy with ATVs, airboats, four-wheel drive vehicles and large platform vessels.
The Florida Highway Patrol will have 300 troopers ready to deploy for 12-hour shifts.
This article originally appeared in florida phoenix