Florida declares state of emergency for 25 counties as Tropical Depression Nine strengthens
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for 25 counties as Tropical Depression Nine strengthens in the Gulf and could bring impacts to Florida later this week.
The state is moving resources into position as forecasters monitor the system, which is expected to strengthen in the coming days. The National Hurricane Center says interests along the northern Gulf Coast, including the Florida Panhandle, should closely monitor the system.
Tropical Depression Nine Florida state of emergency
What we know:
DeSantis signed Executive Order 26-202 declaring a state of emergency for 25 Florida counties ahead of potential impacts from Tropical Depression Nine.
The governor said the order will allow the Florida Division of Emergency Management to stage preparedness resources and ensure the state is ready to respond.
"Today, I signed an Executive Order issuing a state of emergency ahead of potential impacts from Tropical Depression 9," DeSantis said. "This order will allow the Florida Division of Emergency Management to stage critical preparedness resources and ensure Florida is ready to respond. Floridians should take this time to get disaster plans in place and ensure their hurricane supply kit is stocked."
Emergency supplies staged in Panhandle
Dig deeper:
SERT teams are mobilizing resources to support storm preparation and response efforts.
Resources are being strategically staged in Tallahassee and the Santa Rosa area for rapid deployment as needed. Those resources include:
- Generators
- Fuel
- Flood barriers
- Boxed water pallets
- Shelf-stable meals
- Flood buckets
- Tarps
- Tiger Dams
- Sandbags
Tropical storm and hurricane forecast
Timeline:
The current forecast calls for the system to potentially strengthen to a tropical storm or hurricane before reaching the central Gulf Coast later this week.
The system is expected to produce impacts beyond its eventual landfall location, with heavy rainfall, strong winds, coastal flooding and isolated tornadoes possible across North Florida.
Additional rainfall could further saturate soils and increase the risk of flash flooding following recent significant rainfall.
The National Hurricane Center said Tuesday that the Gulf system is expected to turn toward the north or northeast and approach the northern Gulf Coast by the end of the week.
Storm track and intensity
What we don't know:
Specific impacts to the coast remain uncertain.
Counties under state of emergency
Why you should care:
The state of emergency covers:
Baker, Bay, Calhoun, Columbia, Dixie, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Suwannee, Taylor, Walton, Wakulla and Washington counties.
Resident disaster preparation
What you can do:
State officials are encouraging residents to review disaster plans and make sure hurricane supply kits are stocked ahead of potential impacts.
Residents can find storm-preparation information online here, and follow the Florida State Emergency Response Team on X for updates.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from Executive Order 26-202 issued by Gov. Ron DeSantis and forecast reports from the National Hurricane Center.