Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for 25 Florida counties in preparation for Tropical Depression Nine, which is expected to strengthen into Hurricane Isaias.

“Today, I signed an Executive Order issuing a state of emergency ahead of potential impacts from Tropical Depression 9. This order will allow the Florida Division of Emergency Management to stage critical preparedness resources and ensure Florida is ready to respond,” said DeSantis.

“Floridians should take this time to get disaster plans in place and ensure their hurricane supply kit is stocked,” he added.

Florida Phoenix shared further:

Isaias is expected to become a hurricane by Thursday, the National Hurricane Center and Pacific Hurricane Center said in an update Wednesday morning.

Swells from the storm are expected to hit the western and northern portions of the Yucatan Peninsula starting Thursday and spread northward toward the U.S. Gulf Coast later this week.

ADVERTISEMENT

“These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions,” the update notes.

Meanwhile, DeSantis’ state of emergency applies to: Baker, Bay, Calhoun, Columbia, Dixie, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Suwannee, Taylor, Walton, Wakulla, and Washington counties.

“Tropical Storm Isaias has formed in the Gulf and is expected to rapidly intensify during the next few days, becoming a significant hurricane before making landfall along the northern Gulf Coast,” The Weather Channel wrote.

“Storm surge, heavy rain and damaging winds threaten the Gulf Coast states from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle,” it added.

WPBF has more:

The Florida State Emergency Response Team said in a statement that it is currently mobilizing resources to support storm preparation and response efforts. The resources will be strategically staged in Tallahassee and the Santa Rosa area to cover the area in the projected path of the storm as needed. Staged assets include:

  • Generators
  • Fuel
  • Flood Barriers
  • Boxed Water Pallets
  • Shelf-Stable Meals
  • Flood Buckets
  • Tarps
  • Tiger Dams
  • Sandbags

As of the 11 a.m. advisory, the storm was located about 260 miles west-northwest of Progreso, Mexico, and about 540 miles south-southwest of the Mouth of the Mississippi River.

It was moving east-northeast at 8 mph with 45 mph maximum sustained winds.

The National Hurricane Center forecasts that the storm will make a northeastern turn.

Tropical-storm-force winds may be felt from Florida’s Big Bend region west along Alabama’s, Mississippi’s and Louisiana’s Gulf Coast regions as early as Thursday night or Friday morning.

ADVERTISEMENT
 

Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.