A.G. Gancarski
WJXT-TV anchor Tom Wills got deeply emotional on a Thursday telecast regarding the need to evacuate Jacksonville’s beaches during Hurricane Matthew.
He got so emotional, in fact, that he got coverage statewide.
The Tampa Bay Times‘ “Buzz” picked up on Wills comparing impacts from the storm to Hurricanes Katrina and Hugo, in an emotional plea Thursday afternoon that saw the veteran anchor (he’s been here for decades) struggling to maintain composure.
The quote the TBT picked up on: “I want to talk to you people for just a minute — not as Tom the newsman. … We’ve been together for 40 years, you and I. It’s time to take precautions. It’s time to protect yourself. This is not going to be like anything that we’ve ever seen before. Think of Katrina. Think of what Hugo did. Think of Baton Rouge. We’re in for a terrible, terrible experience.”
As of the latest update from the office of Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, conditions aren’t expected (as of Friday morning) to be quite so dire.
“Though expected winds speeds have been reduced, the storm remains a catastrophic and life-threatening event. Storm surge represents the greatest threat to public safety,” asserted the 7:33 a.m. update from the mayor’s office.
“Expected rainfall is 6-10 inches along the coast and 4-6 inches inland …. Hurricane-force winds are expected to be 60-80 mph with 90 mph gusts along the coast, and 40-60 mph with 80 mph gusts inland.”
Power outages are a certainty. Storm surge is a worry, with “surges … expected to be 7-9 feet above ground level at the oceanfront with battering breakers between 20-25 feet. Storm surges of 6-9 feet are predicted along the Intracoastal and the northern St. Johns River, up to 3 feet in Downtown Jacksonville, Ortega, and Julington Creek.”
Flooding and standing water are certain to be concerns, with conditions deteriorating throughout the afternoon. Bridge closures are likely, as are power outages.
