Governor Ron DeSantis, alongside Major General John D. Haas and Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Purdue, provided updates on Hurricane Helene's approach at the State Emergency Operations Center. As of 8:00 am ET, Hurricane Helene has intensified to a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 100 mph. It is expected to strengthen further before making landfall on the Florida Big Bend coast tonight.
In preparation for the storm, 68 shelters have been opened across the state, housing over 2,500 residents. Governor DeSantis issued Executive Order 24-209 on September 24, declaring a state of emergency for 61 counties. This enables critical resources to be allocated ahead of potential impacts.
Following a request from Governor DeSantis, FEMA approved a pre-landfall disaster declaration for 41 counties included in Executive Order 24-208. This will provide federal resources and assistance.
Evacuation orders are in effect in several counties. Residents under mandatory evacuation orders must leave their homes. Information on evacuation orders can be found at FloridaDisaster.org/EvacuationOrders.
Residents needing assistance with shelter locations can call (800) 729-3413 or the State Assistance Information Line (SAIL) at (800) 342-3557 for additional help in English, Spanish, and Haitian-Creole.
Watches and warnings have been issued across various counties:
- 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 counties.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management activated the State Emergency Operations Center to Level 1 on September 24. The State Emergency Response Team is handling over 1,150 missions to assist counties with preparation efforts.
Key preparedness actions include staging response resources and protecting critical infrastructure facilities such as hospitals and utility stations. Additionally:
- Over 35 thousand shelf-stable meals are ready for deployment.
- Seven Urban Search and Rescue task forces are prepared.
- Nearly three thousand five hundred Soldiers and Airmen from the Florida National Guard are mobilized.
- The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has positioned assets for reconnaissance and damage assessments.
- The Florida Department of Transportation has deployed nearly two thousand team members for storm response activities.
Various transportation services have suspended operations including Amtrak routes terminating in Jacksonville and multiple transit providers halting services.
The Agency for Persons with Disabilities is monitoring group homes in impacted areas while the Department of Health has deployed emergency response vehicles across several counties. Special Needs Shelters are being prepared along Helene’s path.
For more information on state resources visit FloridaDisaster.org/Guide or follow FDEM updates on social media platforms.