Gov. Ron DeSantis encouraged Florida Panhandle residents to quickly finish their preparations for Hurricane Isaias, which is expected to make landfall around 11 p.m. on Friday in the Santa Rosa County and Okaloosa County area.
Florida emergency management officials continue to plan for Isaias, now a Category 3 storm, before it makes landfall, with bands of life-threatening storm surge, winds and tornadoes expected hundreds of miles to the east through the Florida Panhandle.
“This is not just going to be a random tropical system, it’s going to be a strong hurricane, and it’s potentially going to do a lot of damage,” DeSantis said Friday afternoon.
DeSantis said Interstate 10 was still open as of Friday afternoon, but the Florida Department of Transportation will close the roadway and bridges once the winds pick up to 39 miles per hour.
“It’s time to hunker down, it’s time to find shelter and make sure you and your family are safe,” said Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Jared Perdue.
Residents should expect to see inland flooding, he added.
A storm surge warning is in effect for as far west as the Louisiana coastline to the Suwannee River in Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center.
“You’re going to have situations where someone has a neighborhood, and all of a sudden there’s a foot and a half, 2 feet of water in the streets. It’s not going to be safe to be able to drive a normal vehicle,” DeSantis said.
Local governments have ordered residents of low-lying coastal areas throughout the Panhandle to evacuate. Mandatory evacuations have been called for Escambia, Okaloosa, Walton and Franklin counties. Voluntary evacuations have been called for Santa Rosa, Bay, Wakulla and Taylor counties.
The result of the evacuation warnings has been mixed, DeSantis said.
“I don’t think it’s been universal,” he added. “Some people just want to stay in their property, and they just want to be there and ride it out.”
The state has activated 175 members of the Florida State Guard and around 5,000 members of the Florida National Guard. About 6,000 utility workers are also being stationed in the region, as are 470 search and rescue workers.
The Port of Pensacola has closed, while the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport suspended operations through Saturday. The Pensacola International Airport suspended operations Friday morning.
Attorney General James Uthmeier’s office has opened the price gouging reporting form for residents to submit complaints if they suspect sharp price hikes on essential goods.
State law bars price gouging on essential items, including food, water, gas, ice, lodging, lumber and contractor services such as tree removal and water remediation, during a declared state of emergency due to a natural disaster.
“Don’t do it,” warned Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia. “Your butt is going to be in jail. Do not think about scamming our Floridians.”