Much of Florida was in disaster mode on Tuesday with only hours to go before an onslaught from Idalia, forecast to strengthen rapidly into “an extremely dangerous major hurricane” before hitting the Gulf Coast on Wednesday.
Florida residents loaded up on sandbags and evacuated from homes in low-lying areas along the Gulf Coast to prepare for a storm that the National Hurricane Center projected could have sustained winds of up to 120 mph (193 kph). That would make it a Category 3 hurricane — a potentially big blow to a state still dealing with lingering damage from last year’s Hurricane Ian.
“You still have time this morning to make your final preparations ... but you gotta do that now.” Gov. Ron DeSantis announced at the state’s emergency operations center. Tolls have been waived on highways out of the danger area, shelters have opened, hotels are prepared to take evacuees and more than 30,000 utility workers are being staged to make repairs as quickly as possible in the hurricane's wake, he said.
“You do not have to leave the state. You don’t have to drive hundreds of miles. You have to get to higher ground in a safe structure. You can ride the storm out there, then go back to your home,” DeSantis said.
At 8 a.m. Tuesday, Hurricane Idalia was about 320 miles south-southwest of Tampa, with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph, the hurricane center said. Idalia was moving north at 14 mph.
The center of Idalia will most likely hit a lightly populated area of the Gulf Coast known as the Big Bend before crossing the peninsula and drenching southern Georgia along with the Carolinas on Thursday, forecasters said.
“Right now, the biggest hazards are storm surge,” Robbie Berg, a senior hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, said Tuesday morning. “We’re expecting a surge as much as 8 to 12 feet above normal tide levels in portions of the Big Bend area of Florida.”
DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 46 counties, a broad swath that stretches across the northern half of the state from the Gulf Coast to the Atlantic Coast. The state has mobilized 1,100 National Guard members, who have 2,400 high-water vehicles and 12 aircraft at their disposal for rescue and recovery efforts.
Columbia County declared a local state of emergency Monday afternoon. Columbia County Emergency Management Director Shayne Morgan said if the current projection holds, Idalia would cross through the heart of Columbia County.
A skeleton crew at the Lake City Council’s emergency meeting also followed the county’s lead and declared a local state of emergency Monday afternoon in response to Tropical Storm Idalia.
Both Columbia County and Suwannee County schools will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday, while Lafayette County and Hamilton County schools will be closed Wednesday. With the closures, all extra-curricular and after-school activities will also be off Tuesday and Wednesday.
Florida Gateway College has also closed all of its offices and campuses on Tuesday and Wednesday. With the closure all college events and classes will be canceled or postponed during that time.
Suwannee County Commissioners declared the local state of emergency in a Sunday emergency meeting. In addition, sandbag locations have been set up in Suwannee County at the Live Oak Fire Department, 200 Duval St. NE in Live Oak; the Suwannee County Judicial Annex, 218 Parshley St. SW in Live Oak; and the Branford Volunteer Fire Department, 502 SW Suwannee Ave. in Branford.
A self-fill sandbag location is also up and running gin Lafayette County at the Mayo Community Center, 138 SW Community Circle in Mayo. There is a 25-bag limit per household.
— The Associated Press contributed to this report