Joe Biden declares state of emergency in Florida as Helene approaches

Image via AP.

President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in Florida as Tropical Storm Helene began its approach toward Florida’s Gulf Coast, where heavy rainfall and storm surges are anticipated to endanger residents in the coming days.

Biden authorized federal agencies including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to assist state, tribal and local response efforts.

The President’s Tuesday order said FEMA and DHS will “coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe.”

Biden’s administration has committed to providing direct and reimbursed assistance, up to 75% of the state and local cost, for the mass care, evacuation and shelter of residents in Bay, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, Dixie, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hernando, Hillsborough, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Monroe, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota, Suwannee, Taylor and Wakulla counties.

The federal government will also provide direct emergency protective measures, at 75% federal funding, for the counties of Alachua, Bradford, Columbia, Escambia, Hamilton, Holmes, Marion, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Sumter, Union, Walton and Washington.

FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer John Brogan will coordinate federal recovery operations in the affected areas.

Biden’s declaration comes hours after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a similar measure declaring a state of emergency for 61 of Florida’s 67 counties, up from 41 on Monday.

By Tuesday afternoon — roughly two days and six hours before Helene is expected to make landfall as a Category 3 major hurricane after rapidly intensifying over the Gulf of Mexico’s warm waters — there were about 3,000 Florida National Guard troops on standby to assess post-storm damage and 150,000 flood-prevention devices deployed to at-risk areas.

“We prepare for the worst, we hope for the best, but we would rather be prepared and hope it does not intensify,” DeSantis said. “We are, of course, on full activation.”

Biden’s declaration also came a day after U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott sent the President a joint letter supporting DeSantis’ request for a pre-landfall emergency declaration for the 41 counties.

“Ensuring that the state has access to the federal resources it needs is imperative to protecting Floridians, property, and our communities,” the letter said.

Forecasts show Tropical Storm Helene will make landfall in Florida’s Panhandle around 8 p.m. Thursday.

The projected storm path shows the weather system could rapidly become a significant threat to most of Florida’s west coast. The storm as it moves north is expected to reach tropical storm strength before the eye passes between Cuba and the Yucatan Peninsula.

Major models all show the storm will head toward the Panhandle and become a Category 3 storm around 2 p.m. on Thursday while it is somewhere west of Tampa Bay.

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Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics contributed to this report.