DeSantis warns inland counties of mass power outages as he stages utility workers
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
3:00 P.M. Update: A Range of Uncertainty
While Tallahassee, Tampa, and coastal counties scramble to prepare for the impact of Hurricane Idalia, Gov. Ron DeSantis warned inland counties also to prepare for an extremely dangerous hurricane.
At a mid-afternoon news conference in landlocked Columbia County, along the Georgia border, DeSantis urged residents to prepare for Idalia, what the National Weather Service expects to grow into a Category 3 storm by the time it comes ashore Wednesday morning.
Tuesday morning, Idalia was about 240 miles southwest of Tampa, moving 14 mph toward Taylor County and the Big Bend.
DeSantis said he was following a half dozen models projecting where the storm will make landfall, but stressed regardless of where, forecasters warn, it will bring life-threatening wind inland across a wide swath of the Panhandle, Big Bend and North Florida.
“We’re talking about counties like Columbia. We’re talking about Hamilton, and Madison,” said DeSantis.
DeSantis acknowledged a range of uncertainty for landfall and that a little movement to the west would bring the eye of the storm closer to Tallahassee and away from Tampa.
“There are models suggesting that this is going to take more of a westward shift that could bring it into areas like Jefferson and Leon,” said DeSantis. “And people have to know that this is a possibility, and I know all those counties are making preparations.”
A declared state of emergency is in place in 49 of the state’s 67 counties, taking in most North Florida counties and extending into Central Florida and along the Atlantic Coast.
Idalia is expected to bring wind of more than 125 mph to a heavily wooded area of Florida and could disrupt electrical power for an extended period for millions of residents.
DeSantis said the state’s preparation for the storm include a stockpile of more than 1.1 million gallons of fuels to respond to any interruptions, the strategic placement of 650 piece of heavy equipment and trucks, and an ad-hoc crew of more than 40,000 electrical linemen, expected in state by nightfall.
“We have people standing by to be able to clear the roads, and that’s going to be really really, important once the storm passes and you lose power,” said DeSantis.
After the Columbia County stop, DeSantis headed back to Tallahassee to continue the state’s storm preparation.
The National Hurricane Center projects Idalia will make landfall between 7 and 11 A.M somewhere north of Tampa, and east of Tallahassee.
State offices in 34 counties, including Leon, Wakulla, and Jefferson, will be closed Wednesday.
12:15 Update: DeSantis thanks linesmen
While Idalia continues to strengthen and accelerate towards Big Bend, at mid-day Gov. Ron DeSantis greeted electrical linesmen at a Central Florida staging area.
DeSantis said more than 25,000 workers have mobilized to repair downed power lines, and another 15,000 – some from as far away as Nebraska – will be in the state by tonight.
Duke Energy, Florida Power and Light, Tampa Electric, and other utilities are manning staging areas throughout Central and North Florida to deploy repairmen to restore downed power lines once the storm pass.
“Thank you for taking this seriously. Thanks for the preparation …(so) you can accomplish the mission,” said DeSantis acknowledging the workers will face “an awful lot of debris” when they move to restore power.
“I can tell you the people of Florida are really appreciative of these linesmen. ...This is not easy work, especially in late August in Florida. It’s going to be nasty. It’s going to be hot,” said DeSantis, telling the crews it is also “important work.”
At 11 a.m., Idalia was 275 miles southwest of Tampa, packing 85 mph wind and moving towards the Big Bend at 14 mph.
The National Hurricane Center expects Idalia to strengthen into a Category 3 hurricane with wind of more than 125 mph by the time it makes landfall sometimes Wednesday morning – powerful enough to produce an 8 –12 foot high storm surge from Apalachicola to Tampa.
“You run from water and you hide from the wind,” DeSantis advised the residents of 22 counties along the Gulf Coast.
“If you’re there and that storm surge, you’re putting your life in jeopardy when it gets to be that high, so if you are given those (evacuation) orders, please heed those orders,” said DeSantis.
Late Wednesday morning the Department of Management Services reported state offices in Leon County will be closed Wednesday – joining state offices in 22 other counties where state buildings were closed due to Hurricane Idalia.
Gov. Ron DeSantis warned Gulf Coast residents time is running out to prepare for Hurricane Idalia and with Tallahassee potentially in its path announced state offices will be closed Wednesday.
At 8 a.m., Idalia was 320 miles southwest of Tampa and moving toward Taylor County at 14 mph. Forecasters say a little wobble in its path to the west would move the storm center from the Big Bend northwest with Wakulla County and Tallahassee directly in the storm’s path.
“Certainly, you could end up having a hit (in) Tallahassee directly,” said DeSantis, adding that most models are still fluctuating.
Tallahassee threat may shut down state government
In response to the state Capitol being placed under a hurricane threat, DeSantis said state offices will follow Leon County’s lead on closures.
“What the state government traditionally (does) is when Leon County does a closure than the state closes their office building. Now people will still be working from home or what they need and the essential personnel that are here. So everything will continue. But in terms of routine state government work, they will be home on Wednesday,” said DeSantis.
An administration official said an official announcement is expected later today.
Idalia and 'rapid intensification' into a major storm
The National Weather Service predicts “rapid intensification” into an extremely dangerous major hurricane with winds of more than 125 mph by the time the storm makes landfall sometimes Wednesday.
A storm surge of 8 to 12 feet is possible from Tampa Bay to Apalachicola. The NWS says Idalia is powerful enough to damage roofs and leave people without electricity for weeks.
As Idalia churns a path parallel to the Gulf Coast and in a beeline for the Big Bend, state workers in Tallahassee are assembling a recovery team to deploy to the 46 counties under a declared state of emergency.
At briefing Tuesday morning DeSantis said:
25,000 electrical linesmen are already in staging areas, and another 15,000 more expected later this week.
5,000 National Guardsmen are activated,
580 search and rescue workers in eight teams are mobilized,
1,100 generators are ready for deployment,
400,000 gallons of fuel has been reserved for post recovery
200 ambulances are ready to surge into an affected area.
Final preparations should happen Tuesday
DeSantis advised residents and businesses to make final storm preparations Tuesday.
“You still have time this morning to be able to make final preparations,” DeSantis said to residents in a stretch of counties from Sarasota to Franklin.
“But by the time we get to the end of tonight, you are going to see some nasty weather so do what you need to do right now to be able to keep yourself and your family safe,” said DeSantis.
James Call is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jcall@tallahassee.com. Follow on him Twitter: @CallTallahassee
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Idalia closes Florida offices as Tallahassee has threat of direct hit
