Los Angeles, Aug. 30, (tca/dpa/GNA) – Hurricane Idalia on Tuesday churned toward a landfall somewhere along the Florida Gulf Coast, a fast-moving Category 1 system expected to rapidly strength as it travels along a runway of bathtub-warm water ahead in the Gulf of Mexico. The latest National Hurricane Center forecast at 11 a.m. would take Idalia into the Big Bend area in the early morning hours Wednesday as a dangerous Category 3 storm. Near its powerful core, sustained winds could hit 200 kmph and storm surge could reach up to 4 and a half metres, the latest uptick in predictions that have grown worse over the last few days.
The flooding threat extended far beyond the cone of concern for high winds. From Apalachicola to the Florida Keys, much of the west coast remained blanketed with storm surge and hurricane warnings, and officials warned that Idalia’s rain, tornadoes and surge will be felt far from the strike zone. The densely populated Tampa Bay region, for instance, was facing a record four to seven feet of surge. Forecasters also cautioned that the track could still shift and some models took the powerful eye further north, closer to the state capital of Tallahassee. Evacuations were already underway in 21 coastal counties, and major theme parks, schools, airports and universities have closed in anticipation of Idalia’s arrival. Governor Ron DeSantis urged Floridians to obey evacuation orders and keep themselves and their families safe from the “catastrophic” storm surge expected.
“By the time we get to the end of tonight, you’re gonna see some nasty weather,” DeSantis said in a Tuesday morning news conference. “Be warned about that and do what you need to do right now to keep yourself and your family safe.”
He ran through numbers to emphasize the state’s preparation – 55,000 national guardsmen ready, 42,000 gallons of fuel and 25,000 linemen already stationed.
DeSantis also said if the storm does hit the Big Bend region, which is more rural, it would be a challenge, but it would differ from the post-Ian recovery, where there was not only heavy debris, but heavy commercial development.
At this point, there is growing certainty of a landfall in the Taylor, Dixie or Levy County region, which has largely been untested by a major storm. The Tallahassee office of the National Weather Service underlined that in a morning forecast discussion post.
“To put this system into the historical context, there are NO major hurricanes in the historical dataset going back to 1851 that have tracked into Apalachee Bay. None. Don’t mess around with this,” forecasters wrote.
In Cedar Key, police were knocking on doors to convince residents to evacuate, like 28-year-old Carol Carlin, who spent the morning packing clothes at the shop her family has owned for about 13 years, Island Trading Post.
“If you look at it from the outside, it’s not the best,” she said during a brief break from packing. “This whole town is very, very old, so a lot of the infrastructure that’s on Second Street … it’s been there for 100-plus years. I’m just really worried it might not be the same when we get back.”
Carlin said many are leaving the tiny gulf coast town with a population less than 700. But a friend has insisted on staying on the island.
“He said his house is rated for a category 5 storm, but is it?” she said, with a furrowed, dripping brow. “It’s never been tested.”
GNA