HURRICANE IAN UPDATE (1 p.m., Tuesday)
The Lake City Council declared a local state of emergency for Hurricane Ian in a six-minute meeting Tuesday morning.
After the council unanimously approved the resolution declaring the emergency — Mayor Stephen Witt was absent — the council received an update on the storm from Lake City Fire Chief Josh Wehinger.
Wehinger told the council that the Tuesday morning call with the National Weather Service in Jacksonville was good news for Lake City residents.
Projections Tuesday morning had Ian shifting to the east after making landfall near Sarasota, causing a greater impact on Central Florida and smaller issues in North Florida.
“Knock on wood, we’re in a good place,” he said, as the higher winds are expected to stay south of Trenton.
According to Wehinger, the biggest concerns for Lake City and Columbia County are flooding threats and potential tornados in the outer bans of the storm.
“Thanks for the good news,” Councilman Jake Hill Jr. said to Wehinger. “I’d just like to ask everyone to stay safe during this time and, hopefully, we can get through this.”