Staff Reports
Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday asked President Donald Trump to declare a pre-landfall emergency for Florida in preparation for Hurricane Irma, the Governor’s Office announced.
“A pre-landfall declaration will provide important resources and assistance from the federal government and would free up funding sources for emergency protective measures such as shoring up beach dunes, building emergency berms and planning for potential evacuations,” a press release explained.
“Last evening, I spoke with President Trump regarding Florida’s preparedness actions and he offered the full resources of the federal government as we get ready for this major storm,” Scott said.
“This morning, I am requesting the president declare a pre-landfall emergency for the State of Florida to help preposition necessary resources and support emergency protective measures across the state,” he added. “Our state emergency management officials are working with our federal and local partners to prepare for any potential impacts from this dangerous storm, and it is crucial that we have access to every available resource to protect our families and communities.
“While we do not yet know the exact path of Irma, major impacts to Florida are potentially possible and we cannot wait to take aggressive preparedness actions,” Scott said. “I continue to urge all Floridians to remain vigilant, stay tuned into local weather alerts and have a disaster plan in place today. We will remain focused on making sure families and visitors have timely information on Hurricane Irma and we keep issuing important updates as we monitor the storm throughout the day.”
The governor’s request is here. His previous executive order is here.
