Ahead of Hurricane Isaias, Gov. DeSantis urges residents to evacuate or bunker down with supplies

Hours before Hurricane Isaias is expected to hit Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis warned of a dangerous storm surge that could extend from Pensacola to the Big Bend in North Florida. State officials said the surge could reach 5 to 7 feet along parts of the Panhandle, and the National Hurricane Center forecast up to 9 feet between the Alabama line and Grayton Beach. “The surge is really what puts a lot of people’s lives in jeopardy if they haven’t heeded evacuation orders and does the most significant damage from these storms,” DeSantis said Friday morning during an emergency briefing as he urged Floridians under evacuation orders to immediately seek safety. “You hide from the wind, but you run from the water.” For those riding out the storm at home as the weather begins worsening Friday afternoon with tropical storm-force winds, DeSantis recommended that residents keep 72 hours of supplies on hand, including food, fuel, prescription medicines and other essentials. Hurricane Isaias is projected to approach the U.S. northern Gulf Coast and make landfall late Friday night or early Saturday morning, according to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center. Maximum sustained winds were measured at 120 mph, per the most recent update. The storm could potentially weaken when it makes landfall but state officials said they are preparing for the worst. As a Category 3, Hurricane Isaias could bring winds 111 to 129 mph and cause devastating damage. Residents on barrier islands and other places ordered to evacuate do not need to “drive hundreds of miles,” DeSantis said, urging them to go “tens of miles” to find safety or to an evacuation shelter. Every county has at least one pet-friendly shelter, DeSantis added. “Please do not leave your pets behind, take care of them and make sure that they also have a place to be able to evacuate to safety,” DeSantis said. Uber is offering up to $40 on rides to and from shelters using the promo ISAIAS26. The ports of Pensacola and Panama City have closed waterside operations, and landside cargo operations will be suspended later Friday, DeSantis said, adding all other Florida seaports are still open and preparing for the storm. Commercial flight operations are also suspended at Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport until Saturday evening while the Pensacola International Airport shut down this morning. About 16,000 linemen and other workers are standing by to restore power after the hurricane moves through, officials said. “They are going to respond and I have no doubt that they’re going to do a very efficient and quick response,” DeSantis said. “However, it may not be instantaneous and you may have some time where you don’t have power. So please be prepared for that.” State agencies are readying people and vehicles for air, water and land emergency response as heavy rain threatens to flood rivers, creeks, streams and bridge crossings, officials said. “We have mobilized major resources. The folks here in Northwest Florida have been on the ball from day one on this. Everybody’s working together. We have the resources that we need in place to be able to respond, to be able to help people in need and to be able to rapidly get things back to normal from power restoration to the economy. That will all happen,” DeSantis said. “The main thing is make sure you’re keeping safe, you and your family, your pets. Now is the time to make those decisions and execute those plans so that we’re able to get through this thing with minimal damage.” The Florida National Guard has also mobilized 5,000 Guard members in North Florida ahead of the hurricane’s arrival. The Department of Environmental Protection has preauthorized 242 sites to temporarily stage storm debris. “The diameter of the storm is very large, especially to the east side. There could be a lot of spin-off tornadoes,” said Jared Perdue, the Florida Department of Transportation Secretary who is going through his first hurricane since stepping in to lead Florida’s Division of Emergency Management. He took over in August. Perdue urged residents to stay inside and stay off the roads after Hurricane Isaias passes through to give first responders and emergency crews space and time to work. The post Ahead of Hurricane Isaias, Gov. DeSantis urges residents to evacuate or bunker down with supplies appeared first on Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government..