Hurricane Hermine will descend on the Florida panhandle and Gulf Coast of the peninsula very early Friday morning, bringing with it projected 80-mile-per-hour winds and 20 inches of rain.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott took to Fox News late Thursday to warn residents the storm is of the the most serious nature and is expected to rival Category-5 Hurricane Andrew in 1995.
“This is a life-threatening hurricane. I’ve told all our residents you can rebuild your house, but you sure can’t rebuild your life. You have got to take this seriously,” Scott said on Fox News’ “Hannity.” “We have a lot of people who have moved to our state. A lot of people have become complacent. So we worked hard the last week to get everybody ready for this. You know, you always worry that people don’t take it seriously enough, and so their lives are at risk.”
Weather experts have predicted the storm surge will hit 12 feet in some coastal counties. Five low-laying counties have mandatory evacuations, forcing residents to leave their homes and those who had planned on vacationing in the Sunshine State this final summer weekend to make other plans.
Scott said Florida has already prepped its emergency management teams both at the state and local levels, including 6,000 National Guard members. The governor also insisted every person take care of themselves because first responders “can’t rescue people during the middle of a storm.”
Residents in the danger zone should have three days worth of water, food and medicine on hand, as well as fully charged cell phones to stay informed if a tornado watch or warning is issued.
For more information, Scott directed residents to floridadisaster.org and the state emergency management team at 850-291-0217.
