Jason Delgado
Gov. Ron DeSantis is urging Floridians to remain vigilant as Tropical Storm Elsa gains strength and pushes its way along Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Speaking at the Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee, DeSantis highlighted that Elsa would likely make landfall as a hurricane near northwest Florida early Wednesday.
In particular, he warned Florida’s Big Bend to brace for the brunt of the storm: flooding, heavy rains, and hurricane-force winds.
“You’re going to see impacts all across the west coast into the morning hours,” DeSantis said, noting that Tampa Bay will experience storm conditions as soon as Tuesday night.
Elsa is located 90 miles southwest of Fort Myers and traveling roughly 9 miles per hour, according to the latest update provided by the National Hurricane Center.
The storm is producing sustained winds of 70 miles per hour, though wind speeds will likely increase before landfall, the NHC added.
As of Tuesday afternoon, DeSantis said 28 counties are under a tropical storm warning, and 33 counties are under a state of emergency.
He noted that Elsa is a lopsided storm with the heaviest of its bands to the east of the storm’s eye.
“Anything east of the eye will have some storm impacts for sure,” DeSantis said.
According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm will continue up the Gulf Coast before turning inland Wednesday across the Big Bend and moving upward toward Eastern Seaboard states.
Meanwhile, emergency crews, including the Florida National Guard and search and rescue teams, remain on standby.
According to the National Guard, more than 12,000 soldiers and airmen are on-call, and another 60 are presently serving at the State Emergency Operations Center.
“We are well-equipped with assets including high-wheeled vehicles, helicopters, boats and generators, and are preparing for possible missions to include humanitarian assistance, security operations, search and rescue, aviation, and more,” the National Guard detailed in a statement.
DeSantis said roughly 1,500 Floridians are without power as of Tuesday evening. More than 7,000 restoration workers, meanwhile, remain on standby.
The Republican Governor credited President Joe Biden for rapidly approving an emergency declaration for the looming storm.
“They’ve been great,” DeSantis said, crediting the Biden administration. “They acted on that very quickly.”
The Governor’s next update is planned for Wednesday.
Florida Politics is tracking the storm’s progress and providing regular updates.
