Floridians in several counties were ordered to evacuate on Sept. 24, as the state prepares for the arrival of a large Category 3 hurricane before the end of the week.
Landfall is expected in or around Apalachee Bay as a Category 3 Hurricane on Sept. 26.
In anticipation of a direct hit by the storm, Wakulla County and Taylor County issued mandatory evacuation orders for all visitors and residents.
As of 5 p.m. ET on Sept. 24, Tropical Storm Helene still had not entered the Gulf of Mexico. It was spotted 150 miles south of the western tip of Cuba, generating winds of 50 mph.
The NHC also expects Helene to grow in physical size, reaching the 90th percentile of storms and distributing tropical-storm-force winds (39 mph—73 mph) more than 240 miles away from its center.
Storm surge warnings have been issued for most of Florida’s west coast, including Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor.
A hurricane warning has been issued for the Florida Gulf Coast from the Anclote River near Tarpon Springs to Mexico Beach, Florida.
Tropical storm-force winds are expected to arrive in the Tampa Bay area on the afternoon of Sept. 25.
Officials in more than 15 counties have issued mandatory or voluntary evacuation orders for at least some residents before 6 p.m. on Sept. 24.
Those include all RVs and non-residents in Indian Pass, Cape San Blas, and Simmons in Gulf County, as well as barrier islands and low-lying, flood-prone areas of Charlotte County and Franklin County.
Pinellas County ordered the mandatory evacuation of “long-term health care residential facilities, which includes hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities that are in Zone A.”
Schools and government offices announced closures for Sept. 25 and Sept. 26 in Hillsborough, Citrus, Hernando, Sarasota, and Pinellas counties.
Florida extended its state of emergency to 61 counties on Sept. 24, and Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that preparations were underway for the arrival of what could become Hurricane Helene.
The governor’s preliminary emergency declaration was announced on Sept. 23 and “turned everything on” in anticipation of a major hurricane.
He also requested a pre-fall emergency declaration by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
During a press conference on Sept. 24, the governor outlined some of the emergency response resources that have already been put into motion.
These include 3,000 members of Florida’s National Guard who are ready to assist FDEM.
The governor activated the Florida State Guard, which has 10 shallow water boat teams on standby, as well as seven flood rescue skiffs, 12 UTVs, 15 cut and toss crews, two amphibious rescue vehicles, and seven search and rescue crews.
Florida Department of Transportation is monitoring flood-prone areas, prepositioning pumps, clearing drainage systems, and deploying traffic signal generators across the state.
In anticipation of power loss, 18,000 linemen have already been placed, and more are on the way. An estimated 150,000 feet of flood protection devices, which successfully protected utility substations from floodwaters during Hurricane Debbie, have been deployed.
Hundreds of Starlink units are also ready to be distributed to provide online access, especially for businesses that need the internet to operate.
Both DeSantis and Guthrie urged Floridians to finalize storm preparations as soon as possible, be prepared to lose power and heed any evacuation orders issued by local county officials.
When asked if he would leave Tallahassee in the event of a direct hit, DeSantis said: “I’m not getting out of Dodge.”
The governor said he would be operating out of the hurricane-proof Emergency Operations Center. DeSantis still planned to attend a prayer breakfast with his wife in the Tampa Bay Area on Sept. 25.
“We’re going to probably make some stops along the way to visit the linemen and some of the prep, but we will be here in Tallahassee for the storm,” DeSantis said.
Meanwhile, The Epoch Times was told that the U.S. Air Force’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron—also known as the Air Force Reserves Hurricane Hunters—will be continuing to fly “around the clock” until the storm makes landfall.
Three aircraft will be on constant rotation.
“One of the important things that we’re doing is what’s called fixing the storm, which is establishing the precise center of circulation,” Lt. Col. Mark Withee told The Epoch Times.
That information is transmitted back to the NHC for updated forecast models.
Withee also said that the hurricane hunters will be watching how Helene interacts with Cuba and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on its way into the Gulf.
Any interaction with land will potentially impact how developed the storm is once it gets into the Gulf and could slow things down, he said.
However, conditions in the Gulf “are perfect for development.”
If the storm remains on its current course, it will be the third hurricane to hit Florida’s Big Bend region in 13 months.
