Today, Governor Ron DeSantis, alongside Major General John D. Haas and Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Purdue, provided updates on the state's preparedness for Hurricane Helene at the State Emergency Operations Center. As of 8:00 am ET, Hurricane Helene has intensified to a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph. The hurricane is expected to strengthen further and reach the Florida Big Bend coast tonight.
Governor DeSantis issued Executive Order 24-209 on September 24, declaring a state of emergency for 61 counties. This allows state officials to allocate critical resources ahead of the storm's impact. Following this order, FEMA approved a pre-landfall disaster declaration request for 41 counties included in Executive Order 24-208.
Evacuation orders are in effect across multiple counties. Residents under mandatory evacuation orders must comply. Information on evacuation orders can be found at FloridaDisaster.org/EvacuationOrders.
Residents needing assistance with shelter coordination can call (800) 729-3413 or the State Assistance Information Line (SAIL) at (800) 342-3557 for additional resources.
The following watches and warnings are in effect:
- Hurricane Warning: Western Alachua, coastal Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, coastal Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, western Marion, coastal Pasco, Suwannee, Taylor and Wakulla counties
- Hurricane Watch: Inland Citrus, inland Hernando, coastal Hillsborough, coastal Manatee; inland Pasco; Pinellas; coastal Sarasota
- Tropical Storm Warning: Central and eastern Alachua; Baker; Bay; Bradford; Brevard; Broward; Calhoun; Charlotte; inland Citrus; Clay; Collier; DeSoto; Duval; Flagler; Glades; Hardee; Hendry; Highlands; inland Hernando; Hillsborough; Holmes Indian River Jackson Lake Lee Miami-Dade Monroe (including Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas); Manatee central and eastern Marion Martin Nassau Okeechobee Orange Osceola Palm Beach inland Pasco Pinellas Polk Putnam Sarasota Seminole St Johns St Lucie Sumter Union Volusia Walton Washington
- Storm Surge Warning: Charlotte Citrus Collier Dixie Franklin Gulf Hernando Hillsborough Jefferson Lee Levy Manatee Monroe Pasco Pinellas Sarasota Taylor Wakulla
State preparedness efforts include activating the State Emergency Operations Center to Level 1 on September 24. The Florida Division of Emergency Management is leading coordination efforts with over 1,150 missions to assist counties in preparation tasks such as staging response resources and protecting critical infrastructure facilities.
The Florida National Guard has mobilized nearly 3,500 Soldiers and Airmen with potential surges up to 5,500 if needed. They are prepared to provide logistics support and other necessary services. Additionally:
- Seven Urban search and rescue task forces are ready.
- FDLE has positioned assets for reconnaissance and damage assessments.
- Nearly 2,000 FDOT team members are working directly on storm response.
Seaports including Port Key West and JAXPORT have closed waterside operations while several airports have suspended services due to flight cancellations or delays.
Health agencies like DOH have deployed emergency response vehicles and prepared Special Needs Shelter operations in impacted areas. DOH has also initiated Patient Movement Missions for medical transport evacuations.
Infrastructure measures include FHP assisting with evacuations and removing abandoned vehicles from roadways ahead of the storm's arrival.
Businesses such as Walmart and Publix are coordinating supply provisions post-storm while Comcast has opened public Xfinity WiFi hotspots across Florida.
For continuous updates on Hurricane Helene's impact and state responses visit FloridaDisaster.org/Updates or follow FDEM on social media platforms.
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