Columbia County plans to declare local state of emergency Monday afternoon; FGC closing campuses Tuesday, Wednesday.
TAMPA — Florida residents loaded up on sandbags and evacuated from homes in low-lying areas along the Gulf Coast as Tropical Storm Idalia intensified Monday and forecasters predicted it would hit in days as a major hurricane with potentially life-threatening storm surges.
As the state prepared, Idalia thrashed Cuba with heavy rain, especially in the westernmost part of the island, where the tobacco-producing province of Pinar del Rio is still recovering from the devastation caused by Hurricane Ian almost a year ago.
Authorities in the province issued a state of alert, and residents were evacuated to friends’ and relatives’ homes as authorities monitored the Cuyaguateje river for possible flooding. As much as four inches of rain fell in Cuba on Sunday, meteorological stations reported.
Idalia is expected to start affecting Florida with hurricane-force winds as soon as late Tuesday and arrive on the coast by Wednesday. It is the first storm to hit Florida this hurricane season and a potentially big blow to the state, which is also dealing with lingering damage from Hurricane Ian.
Florida Gov. Ron 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.
Tampa International Airport and St.Pete-Clearwater International Airport said they would close on Tuesday, and the Sunrail commuter rail service in Orlando was being suspended.
DeSantis warned of a “major impact” to the state, noting the potential for Idalia to become a Category 3 hurricane.
“The property — we can rebuild someone’s home,” DeSantis said during a news conference Monday. “You can’t unring the bell, though, if somebody stays in harm’s way and does battle with Mother Nature."
Large parts of the western coast of Florida are at risk of storm surges and floods anytime a storm of this magnitude approaches. Pasco and Levy counties, located north of Tampa, both ordered mandatory evacuations for some residents deemed to be at risk. In Levy County, officials said residents of Cedar Key must be off the island by Tuesday evening because storm surges would make bridges impassable.
“Once the storm surge comes in, help may not be available to reach you,” the county said in a notice.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami issued a hurricane warning Monday from Longboat Key in the Sarasota area to the Holocene River, up past Tampa Bay.
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.
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.
President Joe Biden spoke to DeSantis on Monday morning, telling the Florida governor that he had approved an emergency declaration for the state, the White House said in a news release. DeSantis is running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.
At 5 p.m. Monday, Tropical Storm Idalia was about 35 miles off the western tip of Cuba, with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph, the hurricane center said. Idalia was moving north at 8 mph. On Tuesday, it was expected to turn northeast at a faster pace, reaching Florida’s western coast as a dangerous major hurricane on Wednesday.
After moving across Florida, Idalia is forecast to blow through Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently said the 2023 hurricane season would be far busier than initially forecast, partly because of extremely warm ocean temperatures. The season runs through Nov. 30, with August and September typically the peak.
Editor Jamie Wachter and the Associated Press contributed to this report.