Update: The Governor Extension A state of emergency has been declared for 61 counties. The original article is below.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency this week for 41 of the state's 67 counties as a result of a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher) expected to make landfall somewhere in the southern part of the state by the end of the week.
DeSantis Signed On Monday, Executive Order (EO) 24-208, Emergency Management – Potential Tropical Cyclone No. 9, was issued.
The Governor urged Floridians to have emergency plans and stay informed, writing:
We are tracking potential Tropical Storm No. 9, which may strengthen as it moves into the Gulf of Mexico this week. I have issued Executive Order 24-208, declaring a State of Emergency for 41 Florida counties that may be affected by this storm and directing Florida agencies to prepare as necessary.
The counties under the emergency declaration are: Alachua, Bay, Bradford, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, Columbia, Dixie, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hernando, Hillsborough, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Leon, Levi, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Monroe, Okaloosa, Pasco, Pinellas, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Sumter, Suwanee, Taylor, Union, Wakulla, Walton and Washington counties.
The storm, which is expected to rapidly intensify into Hurricane Helene, continues to swing east and west across southwest Florida, but the National Hurricane Center (NHC) has warned that its effects will extend far beyond the eye of the storm, with the eastern side becoming the storm's “dirty” side.
5 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) Predict It predicts the storm will approach hurricane strength “once it reaches the northwestern Caribbean early Wednesday morning.”
“The system is expected to strengthen into a major hurricane before approaching the northeast Gulf Coast on Thursday, increasing the potential for life-threatening storm surge and destructive hurricane-force winds along the Florida Panhandle and Florida's western Gulf Coast,” it added.
According to AccuWeather “Residents in the Florida Panhandle, Big Bend region and most of the central and eastern Gulf Coast should complete preparations for major hurricane impacts by Wednesday night before dangerous conditions arrive by Thursday,” forecasters said.
