Florida Gov. Rick Scott asked President Trump to declare a pre-landfall emergency for the state of Florida as it braces for Hurricane Irma to make landfall later this week.
Scott, a Republican, sent a letter to Trump on Tuesday requesting an emergency declaration to unlock federal resources for all 67 Florida counties.
The governor also activated 100 Florida National Guard members to help prepare for Hurricane Irma, which the National Hurricane Center upgraded to a Category 5 storm, and directed all 7,000 members of the Florida National Guard to report for duty Friday.
Scott said he is prepared to activate Florida National Guard members as needed in preparation for the hurricane.
Hurricane Irma was deemed a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 175 miles per hour as of Tuesday morning. The storm is expected to make landfall in Puerto Rico on Wednesday and is forecast to hit Florida later this week.
The National Hurricane Center’s forecast cone for the next five days includes nearly all of Florida south of Orlando.
“Although the National Hurricane Center does not forecast a Florida landfall for Hurricane Irma until later this week, the state and federal governments need to work together now in order to reduce the threat of loss of life and destruction of property posed by this major hurricane,” Scott said in his letter to Trump.
“The failure to act now could have devastating consequences days from now for the residents of and visitors to the state of Florida.”
