Gov. Scott: White House Has Approved Pre-Landfall Disaster Declaration
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TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami) – Florida Gov. Rick Scott has announced the federal pre-landfall disaster declaration has been granted by the president.
The news comes after Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson urged President Donald Trump to approve Gov. Scott's request in anticipation of Hurricane Irma.
The U.S. senators penned a letter to the president that read, in part:
"As the current projections indicate, this major hurricane will heavily impact Florida communities, and we urge you to immediately approve this request to ensure that full federal resources are made available."
Click here to read the letter in its entirety.
The president's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA to coordinate all disaster relief efforts. Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide, at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency.
Scott received a full update on Hurricane Irma Tuesday at the State Emergency Operations Center.
On Monday, Gov. Scott declared a State of Emergency to prepare Florida for a possible hit by Hurricane Irma.
"Hurricane Irma is a major and life-threatening storm and Florida must be prepared. I have continued to be briefed by the Florida Division of Emergency Management on Hurricane Irma and current forecast models have Florida in Irma's path – potentially impacting millions of Floridians," Scott said.
Gov. Scott has activated 100 members of the Florida Air and Army National Guard to support with planning, logistics and operations in preparation for Irma. These 100 members are stationed across the state and actively assisting with preparation efforts. All 7,000 National Guard members will be reporting for duty Friday morning. Additional guard members will be activated as needed.
The governor also announced on Tuesday that all tolls across the state will be suspended in preparation for the hurricane.
Scott will visit the Monroe and Miami-Dade County Emergency Operations Centers to give updates on Hurricane Irma on Wednesday.
Related: How To Prep For A Possible Hurricane Irma Hit
Irma is holding strong as a dangerous Category 5 hurricane.
- Click here for ways to prepare yourself for an impending storm from our Hurricane Preps page
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