Gov. DeSantis expands state of emergency to 61 counties as Helene storm threat looms
TALLAHASSEE - Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday expanded a declared state of emergency to 61 of the state's 67 counties with only some counties in Southeast Florida excluded as Tropical Storm Helene heads toward Florida and is expected to rapidly grow into a powerful hurricane Wednesday in the Gulf of Mexico.
Ahead of the storm's forecast arrival in the Panhandle, Florida State and Florida A&M University will close their campuses Wednesday.
"I think the fact that this would be forecasted as a major (hurricane) at this point without formation, shows that this has a potential to be a really, really significant storm," DeSantis said during a news conference at the state Emergency Operations Center.
He expanded the list from 41 counties. Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties are not on the list.
Later Tuesday, President Joe Biden approved Florida's emergency declaration, ordering the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate all disaster relief efforts. It includes assistance and reimbursement for mass care including evacuation and shelter support.
A Tropical Storm Watch was issued at 5 p.m. Tuesday for Lake Okeechobee and Palm Beach/Martin County line northwest to the Savannah River.
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect in Monroe County for Dry Totugas and Lower and Middle Keys west of the Channel 5 Bridge.
A period of rapid intensification is forecast from Wednesday morning to Thursday afternoon. The latest forecast calls for the storm to be a major hurricane making landfall late Thursday along the Nature Coast. The forecast cone has continued to focus on this area but has the storm center anywhere between Panama City and Tampa.
"It's going to be a hurricane, at least a Cat 1 (Category 1), possibly a Cat 2. Will it be stronger than that? That remains to be seen," Felecia Bowser, meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service Tallahassee, said. "Those types of clarifications are going to be coming in the next day or two, where we can see if we are going to be faced with a major hurricane."
Storm surge, wind and rain will affect areas well away from the center of the storm, particularly to the east of its eye.
The area where the storm makes landfall could see 4 to 8 inches with isolated totals around 12 inches. Parts of North Florida were battered last year by Hurricane Idalia and last month by Hurricane Debby - both of which made landfall in the Big Bend's Taylor County.
Near the storm center, 10 to 15 feet of storm surge is expected with lower amounts farther south away from the forecast storm center. In the Keys, 5 to 8 feet of storm surge is expected in addition to tropical storm conditions.
DeSantis' order placed Division of Emergency Management Executive Director Kevin Guthrie in charge of the state's response, including coordinating efforts with utility companies, neighboring states and the federal government.
DeSantis' order also activated the Florida National Guard and Florida State Guard.
About 18,000 utility line workers are being pre-positioned, DeSantis said.
Attorney General Ashley Moody on Monday activated the state's Price Gouging Hotline for those emergency declaration areas.
Charlotte, Collier and Lee counties in Southwest Florida as well as Okeechobee County are on the list.
The order also included Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Calhoun, Citrus, Clay, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Glades, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Nassau, Okaloosa, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, Wakulla, Walton, and Washington counties.
Helene is moving to the northwest but is forecast to turn to the north as it passes through the Yucatan Channel and into the southern Gulf of Mexico.
From there, conditions in the Gulf of Mexico are favorable for significant strengthening, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Florida State University's Tallahassee campus will close at 7 a.m. Wednesday and will continue through 11 p.m. Sunday. For those who remain on campus, campus housing operations will continue throughout the closure.
Florida State hasn't announced whether its travel schedule will be altered for its game at Southern Methodist on Saturday.
Florida A&M has canceled classes, starting at 12:15 p.m. Tuesday through 12:15 p.m. Friday. Campus operations will be closed Wednesday through Friday.
Florida A&M University, also in Tallahassee, postponed its upcoming college football game against Alabama A&M. The Rattlers rescheduled the game for Friday, Nov. 29,
There have been seven other named storms this year.
In addition to Idalia and Debby making landfall in the Big Bend this year, Hurricane Michael brought 160 mph sustained winds near Mexico Beach in October 2018 and caused widespread damage in the Panhandle.