'Execute your plan now': How Florida, Gov. DeSantis are preparing state for Idalia

6 p.m. update

To help Idalia evacuees, Gov. Ron DeSantis is directing the Florida Department of Transportation to waive tolls in multiple counties.

The counties getting the relief, beginning 4 a.m. Wednesday, are: Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lake, Pasco, Pinellas and Sumter.

More counties will be affected by Idalia than those. So far, he said, 38 school districts have announced school closures of the next two days. So have 10 state colleges and six Florida universities.

The effects of Idalia are expected to begin to be felt late Tuesday with an expected landfall of early Wednesday.

As that happens, DeSantis cautioned Floridians of strong winds, life-threatening storm surges and what he said were inevitable power outages.

"I would prepare to be without power," he said. "There is not likely to be a situation where you're not going to lose power at all if you're in the path of this storm. So please take precautions for that."

He said there are more than 20,000 people who are ready to respond to power outages. There's more on the way. And there are currently more than 400,000 gallons of fuel ready to deploy, with "additional assets" expected over the next few days.

Eight urban search and rescue teams have been activated, as well as 5,5500 National Guardsmen.

"This is going to be a major hurricane; it's likely to continue strengthening," DeSantis said. "It could have catastrophic storm surge in your area. We'll keep you updated on the track, as that may change one direction or another."

4 p.m. update

With less than 48 hours to prepare for landfall of what is expected to be Category 3 hurricane packing 125+ mph wind and a potentially catastrophic storm surge, Gov. Ron DeSantis said federal, state, and local officials are committed to “achieve the best possible outcome for the residents of Florida.”

“I’ve spoken with the President. I’ve spoken with FEMA Director (Deanne) Criswell and I’ve spoken with a number of local officials and everyone understands the significance of this event,” said DeSantis at an afternoon briefing in Pinellas County.

Tropical Storm Idalia, packing winds of 65 miles mph as it churned south of Cuba, is expected to quickly intensify once it enters the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Then, according to Florida officials, it will have clear sailing to Florida as it grows into a major hurricane.

“Wednesday morning at about 11 a.m. or 2 a.m., you are going to have a Category 3 hurricane sitting about 70 miles off the coast of Pinellas County,” said Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

Guthrie said that will cause life threatening storm surges within the projected forecasted “cone” of the path Idalia will take.

A surge of at least 11 feet is possible along the Big Bend counties of Wakulla, Jefferson, and Taylor.

DeSantis said a little wobble to the east would move much of the storm’s fury into the Tampa region, while a slight turn to the west would bring more of its high winds and rain to Tallahassee.

There is a hurricane warning in place from Sarasota County North to around the Big Bend and along the Panhandle coast.

The state utility companies are deploying up to 40,000 electrical linemen in Marion County to quickly deploy them either north or south depending on the storm’s path.

“This is going to cause a lot of power disruptions, particularly if it ends up in the Big Bend. There’s a lot of trees and you are going to have a lot of power lines down. There is no way you are going to get through this storm without losing power,” said DeSantis.

DeSantis huddled with all the local emergency managers along the Gulf Coast this morning to discuss preparations and advise they submit any requests for state aid as quickly as possible.

“We'll be able to deliver it today throughout most of the day tomorrow. But as we get into the late afternoon, early evening, it's going to start to getting really, really nasty,” said DeSantis.

DeSantis said he will be seeking whatever federal aid is available to help Floridians, and that President Joe Biden indicated he’d be receptive to the request.

“He appreciated that this is going to be a major hurricane and that’s something significant,” said DeSantis.

10 a.m. update

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is warning residents along the Gulf Coast to prepare for a life-threatening potential Category 3 hurricane. Idalia is expected to come ashore at the Big Bend Wednesday.

The tropical storm was about 90 miles south of Cuba at 8 a.m., but forecasters expect it to strengthen once it enters the Gulf and when it arrives at the Big Bend sometime Wednesday it will be pack winds between 111 – 129 mph.

“Floridians should expect a major Cat 3-plus hurricane,” said DeSantis. “Go to Florida disaster.org and get a plan. This is going to be a major hurricane, powerful hurricane and is absolutely going to impact the state of Florida in many, many different ways. … Execute your plan now.”

The National Hurricane Center reports a Category 3 hurricane is powerful enough to damage roofs of well-constructed buildings, and uproot trees and damage power lines enough to leave residents without electrical power for several days to weeks.

A storm surge from 4 feet in Tampa, and as much as 11 feet along the Big Bend coast of Wakulla, Jefferson, Taylor and Dixie counties is expected.

A state of emergency was declared for 33 Gulf coast counties Sunday, and Monday morning DeSantis added another 13 central and north east counties to the list.

The declaration now covers 46 of the state's 67 counties.

Those counties are: Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lake, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Nassau, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, and Wakulla counties.

The state has mobilized seven urban search and rescue teams for deployment once the storm passes. More than 2,500 National Guard and airmen have been mobilized and another 3,000 are in pre-staged deployment.

They will be equipped with 2,400 high-wheel vehicles and 12 aircraft and are currently being staged in Marion County, to allow for quick deployment to either North Florida or Tampa, depending on exactly where the storm makes landfall.

DeSantis said the Florida Highway Patrol, Department of Law Enforcement and Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission will be part of the post-storm recovery effort, along with thousands of electrical linemen whose staging area will be in the Panhandle.

“Be prepared to lose power,” DeSantis advised residents. “There’s going to be a lot of trees that are going to get knocked down. A lot of debris is going to interrupt the power lines. So just understand that that is something that's going to happen.”

DeSantis expects the threat of a storm surge will lead to evacuation orders being issued in numerous counties from Manatee north to the Big Bend. Evacuations are already underway in Pasco, Hernando and Manatee counties.

“Now is the time to find out what evacuation zone you live in because we evacuate based on storm surge. You can find that out by going to Florida disaster.org,” said DeSantis, advising residents to seek higher ground.

“If you are told to evacuate, you do not need to drive hundreds of miles, you do not need to leave the state of Florida. You basically need to go to higher ground (and in) almost every instance. You can go tens of miles to a shelter, to a hotel, to a friend's house, whatever works for you, and you'll be able to ride out the storm.”

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: DeSantis tells Floridians to 'get a plan' as he mobilizes response