‘Floridians should take this time to get disaster plans in place.’
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Gov. Ron DeSantis is declaring a state of emergency for 25 counties in North Florida ahead of a dangerous approaching storm.
Tropical Depression Nine is expected to strengthen into a tropical storm by early Wednesday and could become a hurricane Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
The counties in DeSantis’ emergency Executive Order are: 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.
Those areas could be hit with heavy rain up to nine inches that could cause flash flooding or overwhelm the drainage system. The affected counties could also get hit with heavy winds, storm surge and the possibility of tornadoes.
“Today, I signed an Executive Order issuing a state of emergency ahead of potential impacts from Tropical Depression 9. This order will allow the Florida Division of Emergency Management to stage critical preparedness resources and ensure Florida is ready to respond,” DeSantis said in a statement Tuesday evening. “Floridians should take this time to get disaster plans in place and ensure their hurricane supply kit is stocked.”
Florida State Emergency Response Team is getting ready for the storm and will strategically be staged in Tallahassee and the Santa Rosa area with supplies, DeSantis’ news release said.
In late August, DeSantis appointed Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue to lead the Florida Department of Emergency Management to replace Kevin Guthrie. Guthrie, who had led the state’s hurricane response since 2021, lost his job after he joined Lt. Gov. Jay Collins’ ticket to be his running mate in the Republican Primary for Governor.
Florida has yet to be hit with a hurricane so far during the 2026 storm season which continues through Nov. 30. If the approaching storm gets elevated to a tropical storm, it will be named Isaias.
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