Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an Executive Order declaring a state of emergency for 25 Florida counties, including Baker and Columbia counties in Northeast Florida, in preparation for Tropical Depression Nine. The storm is expected to strengthen in the coming days.
[RELATED | TROPICAL DEPRESSION 9 FORMS IN THE GULF]
“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,” DeSantis said.
“Floridians should take this time to get disaster plans in place and ensure their hurricane supply kit is stocked,” he added.
SERT mobilizing resources
The Florida State Emergency Response Team, known as SERT, is mobilizing resources to support storm preparation and response efforts. Resources will be strategically staged in Tallahassee and the Santa Rosa area for rapid deployment as needed.
Staged assets include generators, fuel, flood barriers, boxed water pallets, shelf-stable meals, flood buckets, tarps, Tiger Dams and sandbags.
What to expect from the storm
The Governor’s Office says the current forecast indicates a tropical storm or hurricane could make landfall somewhere along the central Gulf Coast later this week.
Impacts are expected to extend beyond the point of landfall, with heavy rainfall, strong winds, coastal flooding and isolated tornadoes possible across North Florida. Additional precipitation could further saturate soils and increase the potential for flash flooding, following recent significant rainfall across the state.
Counties under state of emergency
DeSantis issued the state of emergency for the following 25 counties: 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.
Residents are encouraged to visit FloridaDisaster.org for information on how to prepare ahead of the storm. Live updates are available by following @FLSERT on X.
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