State emergency management officials are preparing for a major hurricane potentially making landfall in the western Panhandle in the next couple of days.
With around 800 members of the State Guard and 5,000 members of the National Guard activated, and an emergency declaration imposed across 25 counties in the Panhandle and Big Bend region, Florida Emergency Management Director Jared Perdue said the state has started coordinating with power companies and moving flood mitigation devices to areas already inundated by recent rains.
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“The Panhandle has seen a significant amount of rain over the last few days,” said Perdue, who also leads the Department of Transportation. “So, this is something we are tracking very closely. A lot of the ground is already saturated. A lot of drainage systems are inundated, and rivers are on the rise.”
Tropical Storm Isaias was located about 520 miles south-southwest of the Louisiana coast on Wednesday afternoon, with sustained winds of 50 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The system was moving east-northeast at 8 mph and is expected to turn toward the northeast and north on Thursday and Friday.
“From Friday through the weekend, the system is expected to produce rainfall amounts of 3 to 6 inches, with localized totals up to 10 inches, across the central U.S. Gulf Coast extending from far southeastern Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle,” the National Hurricane Center advisory stated.
A hurricane watch was in place by the National Hurricane Center from Indian Pass in Gulf County west to Bay St. Louis in Mississippi, with a storm watch covering Indian Pass in the Big Bend region to the Jefferson/Plaquemines Parish line in Louisiana.
Perdue said the state had been preparing for massive rainfall before the latest updates increased the potential wind strength, with some forecasts predicting Isaias reaching Category 3 status, or sustained winds of 111 mph to 129 mph.
“While we know for a fact that it’s going to bring rain, we also need to prepare for storm surge and also a wind event from potentially a major hurricane,” Perdue said. “So, we are pulling out all the stops and making sure the state of Florida is ready to go.”
The meteorological company AccuWeather cautioned Isaias could strengthen into a strong Category 2 hurricane or possibly a major hurricane before slamming into the central Gulf Coast Friday night with destructive winds, dangerous storm surge and widespread flooding.
“The concern with Isaias is how quickly conditions can deteriorate as it approaches the coast,” said AccuWeather hurricane expert Nicholas Arman. “A strengthening hurricane can leave communities with very little margin for error. People along the central Gulf Coast should use the time now to prepare, rather than waiting to see exactly how strong Isaias becomes.”
Patrick De Haan, the head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, on Wednesday posted online that the Marine Minerals Administration estimated that nearly 10 percent of the Gulf oil production is “to be shutdown ahead of TS Isaias.”
On Tuesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis imposed a state of emergency for 25 counties across the Panhandle and Big Bend region.
“Whatever makes landfall can always have worse impacts than what was even forecast. This is something we’ve seen year after year,” Perdue said.
“There absolutely is no complacency on the response side,” Perdue continued. “What I would tell individuals, communities, residents: have a plan. Get prepared. Make sure you have seven days of food and water. Make sure your gas tank on your car or if you have an electric vehicle, make sure you’re at least half-full or half-charged.”