Florida has 25,000 linemen ready and “more on the way” ahead of Hurricane Idalia’s landfall, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) said Tuesday, as the storm makes its way to the state’s Big Bend region.
DeSantis provided an update to Floridians anticipating Hurricane Idalia’s landfall, which has strengthened to a hurricane and is expected to intensify. DeSantis warned of life-threatening storm surges — 8-12 feet in some areas — urging residents in low lying coastal areas to heed the warnings of local officials and evacuate. Well over one dozen counties have areas with evacuation orders, some of which are mandatory.
“There are evacuation orders for coastal low lying areas in 22 different counties along the Gulf Coast as well as throughout North Florida,” DeSantis said.
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Hazard Management Cayman Islands via Storyful
Power outages across the state are expected, but DeSantis said there are already 25,000 linemen ready to go and “more on the way.” Ultimately, he predicted there will be between 30,000 and 40,000 linemen ready when the storm hits.
“We had as of this morning over 25,000 linemen stationed [and] more on the way so you will have most likely between 30,000 and 40,000 linemen. When the storm hits [they] will be in the state of Florida and then they will immediately move to commence power restoration efforts,” the governor said, adding that 5,500 National Guardsmen have been activated as well.
Residents fill sandbags to ward off flooding in St. Petersburg, Florida, on August 28, 2023. (Juan Manuel Barrero Bueno/Bloomberg)
“Forty-two school districts have announced school closures over the next two days along with 16 State Colleges and seven Florida universities,” he continued, noting that the current track will create a “lot of debris” as there is “a lot of trees along that track.”
DeSantis added that the storm is expected to hit Wednesday morning but areas will begin to see effects late Tuesday. Regardless of what the current track states, however, DeSantis said everyone should remain vigilant.
Residents place a wooden board to protect a house in St. Petersburg, Florida, on August 28, 2023. (Juan Manuel Barrero Bueno/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“We will of course be mindful of any changes in the path of the storm. I think everybody on that Gulf Coast from Tampa Bay up until Northwest Florida must remain vigilant,” he added.
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The National Hurricane Center’s (NHC) 11 a.m. update of the storm warns of “catastrophic storm surge inundation of 10 to 15 feet above ground level and destructive waves” between “Aucilla River and Yankeetown, Florida.”
It also warns that strong winds are expected not only in the Big Bend region but inland Florida, spanning to northern Florida and southern Georgia as well.
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