DeSantis declares emergency in 33 FL counties for storm prep.

OAN’s Brooke Mallory
1:06 PM – Sunday, August 27, 2023

Florida Governor and GOP ‍presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis‌ issued a state of emergency for a large portion of The ​Sunshine State on Saturday ⁤as a potential tropical storm brewed in the⁤ Gulf​ of Mexico.

According to the National Hurricane ‍Center, Tropical Storm “Idalia”⁣ developed on Sunday ‌in the Gulf of Mexico and could make landfall in the southern United States.

To prepare for⁣ the storm, DeSantis signed an executive order along with an emergency declaration for 33 counties, stating that it was predicted to intensify into a tropical storm over the next several days.

The governor and the Division of Emergency Management in Florida “are taking⁣ timely precautions to ensure Florida’s ⁤communities, infrastructure, and resources are prepared, including those communities that are still​ recovering following Hurricane ​Ian,” the governor’s office stated.

“I signed an Executive Order issuing a state of emergency out of an abundance of‍ caution to⁢ ensure that the Florida Division of Emergency Management can begin‍ staging resources and Floridians have plenty of time ​to prepare their families for a storm ⁤next week,” DeSantis said. “I encourage Floridians to have a plan⁢ in ⁢place and ensure that their hurricane supply kit is stocked.”

The storm was 80 miles‍ east-southeast of Cozumel, Mexico, at‌ 11:15 a.m. ⁤on Sunday,⁣ moving east at 2 mph with a top​ sustained wind speed of 40 mph, according to forecasts.

Hurricane winds reach at least 74 mph or higher.

Idalia ​is anticipated to intensify into a⁣ hurricane on Tuesday in ⁣the Gulf of Mexico before veering northeast toward the⁢ west coast of Florida, according to forecasters.

The governor’s office said⁣ on Saturday that a tropical storm or hurricane is presently expected to make⁣ landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast between early and mid-next week, “with the‍ potential‌ for heavy rainfall, strong‌ winds, and for isolated tornadic activity.”

The 33 Florida​ counties ‌that were referenced in the declaration are:

• Bay
• Calhoun
• Charlotte
• Citrus
• Columbia
• DeSoto
• Dixie
• Franklin
• Gadsden
• Gilchrist
• Gulf
• Alachua
• Hamilton
• Hardee
• Hernando
• Hillsborough
• Jefferson
• Lafayette
• Lee
• Leon
• Levy
• Liberty
• Madison
• Manatee
• Marion
• Pasco
• Pinellas
• Polk
• Sarasota
• Sumter
• Suwannee
• Taylor
• Wakulla

Forecasters ‍have also ‍issued warnings for potential landslides ​and flash flooding in western Cuba and​ the eastern Yucatan⁣ Peninsula.

By midweek, the system may bring severe storm surge, torrential rain, and‌ powerful winds to Florida’s Gulf Coast and Panhandle, the National Hurricane Center said on Saturday.

Additionally,⁢ the hurricane center estimates that there is a 90% likelihood overall and a 70% chance that the system will develop into a tropical storm by Monday.

The storm’s core is not predicted to reach the southwest Florida regions that were hit by Hurricane Ian last year.

According to forecast models, the storm⁢ is also expected to curve northeast into Florida, make landfall along the Gulf coast north⁣ of ⁣Tampa around the Big Bend region,‍ and then travel diagonally across the state before reemerging in the Atlantic Ocean close to southeast Georgia.

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