PERRY, Fla. – As Hurricane Idalia approached The Big Bend of Florida on Tuesday afternoon, authorities in Taylor County ordered evacuations, closed shelters, and prepared school buses to help residents find safety somewhere else.
The hurricane is set to make landfall on Wednesday morning as a Category 3 system with sustained winds of up to 120 mph. Perry, a city of over 7,000 in Taylor County, is about a four-hour drive away from the Gulf Coast wildlife.
“You have to get to higher ground in a safe structure. You can ride the storm out there, then go back to your home,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Tuesday.
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The National Hurricane Center forecasted catastrophic storm surge in the island city of Cedar Key, and the coastal communities of Suwannee, and Steinhatchee.
The catastrophic storm surge could reach 10 to 15 feet in some areas and there may be up to 7 feet of storm surge flooding as far south as Tampa Bay.
“You don’t wait; you just have to go,” said Deborah A. Lekenta, about the evacuation order in her area.
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Coastal hurricane warnings extend westward to near Cape San Blas, west of Apalachicola, with inland hurricane warnings in place as far west as Wakulla and Leon counties.
Since high winds may also cause widespread power outages inland, most supermarkets already had some empty shelves, as residents stored bottled water and non-perishable food.
There were long lines of cars stretched out of gas stations with drivers eager to fill up their tanks in anticipation of possible shortages in Florida.
Heavy rainfall is also a threat in central and north Florida.
The rainfall forecast through Thursday morning varies from 6 to 12 inches in the path of the hurricane and an inch to 3 in Florida’s east coast.
“Take it seriously, and be prepared,” said Kris Dosa, who was in Gainesville on her way south to Tampa to pick up family, including a 96-year-old woman.
Dosa, who was at a gas station filling up red plastic containers with her husband, said their plan is to then drive up to North Carolina to protect their family.
“They are all going to come to our house and we are going to hunker down and ride out the storm ... and we’re stopping here in Gainesville because we know once we get to Tampa, there’ll be nothing.”
Not everyone had Dosa’s attitude. There were residents along the Gulf Coast who said they were not going to abide by the evacuation orders because the storm was moving north.
“Even though we’re not in the cone or might be in the cone, depending on which newscast you listen to, be prepared,” Dosa said.
Watch the 4 p.m. report
Quick facts
- Category 3 hurricane is forecast to make landfall with sustained winds of up to 120 mph on Wednesday morning in the Big Bend region of Florida.
- Storm surges could be as high as 15 feet
- The rare blue supermoon will cause higher-than-normal tides on Wednesday.
- There were evacuation notices issued in 22 counties in Florida, including the mandatory evacuations in eight counties
- Florida is waiving tolls on highways
- More than 30,000 utility workers on standby
- The National Guard activated 5,500 troops
- More than 10,000 people evacuated in Cuba
- University of Florida in Gainesville and Florida State University in Tallahassee will close
- The hurricane season runs through Nov. 30