It’s that time of year, and the weather in Florida is already brewing a storm that is forcing residents to flee their homes and seek safety in nearby counties with family and friends.
Due of Hurricane Ian’s potential impact, Florida’s top disaster management official on Tuesday recommended residents along the state’s west coast to move to Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties.
Around 2.5 million Floridians are presently subject to some sort of evacuation order.
At a news conference on Tuesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis and the director of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management, Kevin Guthrie, recommended people of Southwest Florida to leave the state by traveling east.
Many residents of Southwest Florida will likely flee the entire state, Guthrie predicted. Just travel directly to Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach.
Guthrie added that west coast residents shouldn’t travel north because it would cause too much congestion on the highways.
“Never travel north. Travel directly over to Southeast Florida “Guthrie declared.
Tolls have been suspended across the state to assist with evacuations, and transportation officials have stated that emergency lanes will likely be opened on busy thoroughfares like Interstate 75 in the Tampa area, Interstate 4 in Central Florida, and Alligator Alley that runs the length of the state from Collier to Broward counties.
Once traffic is going at a sustained speed of less than 40 mph, “contraflow” entails opening the shoulder for emergency evacuations.
According to DeSantis, “They will open that up to be able to boost the flow.” “They will do it as soon as that under 40 happens.”
According to DeSantis, 2,000 National Guard members from other states and 5,000 members of the Florida National Guard have been activated and are prepared to assist in storm-related crises.
The state’s 28,000 FPL lineman and five urban search and rescue teams are ready to respond to any power outages that may occur.
DeSantis said: “I would simply caution all Floridians who are in its path that there will likely be interruptions in things like electricity, fuel, and possibly communications.” “Just be prepared for that; that is to be expected.”
School closings have been declared by 26 school districts, including the Okeechobee County School District.
Florida’s 67 counties are all presently under an emergency.
According to DeSantis, the most recent forecast models predict that Hurricane Ian will make landfall south of Tampa, most likely in the Venice area, at some point on Wednesday night around 8 p.m.
According to the governor, the system would deliver “catastrophic floods and life-threatening storm surge” to Florida’s west coast.
The potential for floods and storm surge is truly historic, according to DeSantis.
- A new normal: Palm Beach looks to manage rising sargassum levels - October 2, 2022
- Dave Kerner, PBC Democrat, supports DeSantis’ re-election - October 2, 2022
- What is The True History of Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach? - October 2, 2022
