Florida readies as Nicole looms
TALLAHASSEE - With Tropical Storm Nicole expected to strengthen to a hurricane before hitting the state's East Coast, President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration as Florida officials Wednesday urged residents to be prepared.
"The combined winds and storm surge will contribute to continued beach erosion in areas that have already seen erosion from Hurricane Ian," Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a morning news conference. "The wind field from the storm is very large. We expect impacts to stretch far beyond the center track."
State Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said "strong wind gusts will be felt across the entire Florida peninsula, Big Bend (region) and even over into the Panhandle."
Nicole looms as Florida continues recovering from Hurricane Ian, which made landfall Sept. 28 as a Category 4 storm and caused widespread damage as it crossed the state. Like DeSantis, National Weather Service meteorologist Kelly Godsey pointed to Nicole exacerbating beach erosion caused by Ian.
"We are going to see a long period of onshore winds and high surf, even before the center of the storm gets to the coast," Godsey said. "That is just going to worsen the beach erosion that has already been ongoing, that Hurricane Ian caused when it went past the area."
A hurricane warning was in effect Wednesday morning from Boca Raton to the border of Volusia and Flagler counties. Also on the East Coast, a tropical-storm warning was in effect from Hallandale Beach to Boca Raton and from the Volusia-Flagler border all the way north to South Carolina. On the Gulf Coast, a tropical-storm warning was in effect from Bonita Beach in Southwest Florida to Indian Pass in the Panhandle.
Biden's emergency declaration, which made available federal assistance to state and local response efforts, covered 40 counties. DeSantis earlier issued an executive order that declared a state of emergency for 34 counties.
Florida Power & Light, which provides electricity along most of the east coast, said it had mobilized about 13,000 workers to respond to the storm.
"If this storm is coming in with 75 to 80 mph winds, those can be destructive," Godsey, the meteorologist, said. "Those can bring down a lot of trees and power lines. Homes that are not built to withstand strong winds can suffer some structural damage as well."
