Citrus County bracing for ‘catastrophic’ storm surge from Helene

Citrus County emergency officials hope citizens heed warnings to prepare for a storm that some say could exceed the worst surge recorded in the last 40 years.

“This is a catastrophic storm surge,” Emergency Management Director Chris Evan said. “This is life threatening.”

The National Weather Service is predicting a storm surge from Tropical Storm Helene of 10 to 15 feet in coastal Citrus County, which would bring up to 7 feet or more of water to U.S. 19 in Crystal River. Hurricane Hermine in 2016 and the 1993 “no-name” storm are considered the bellwether weather events in Citrus County, with both flooding homes, businesses and roads in coastal communities.

Crystal River Mayor Joe Meek reminded residents that they have been here before.

“If you are in an area and a structure that has the potential to flood based on these projected forecast numbers, and have experienced surge flooding in the past, now is your opportunity to plan and take action,” Meek posted on his Facebook page. “It is a gorgeous day today, you will start to run out of time as the weather deteriorates tomorrow.”

Citrus County Schools are closing at noon Wednesday, then are closed Thursday and Friday. The county opened sandbag sites, and is preparing to begin mandatory evacuations west of U.S. 19 beginning at 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Wind speeds of up to 110 mph on the coast, and 73 mph inland are possible. Mandatory evacuations include residents in mobile homes or structures that cannot withstand tropical storm force winds.

In Crystal River, the concern is high tide storm surge. Evan said a storm surge exceeding 10 feet would bring unprecedented flooding to Crystal River and low-lying areas.

Evan said he’s already heard of some gas stations running out of fuel due to what he called “panic buys.” He said residents need to take the storm seriously.

“They can’t act like they have in the past. ‘We’re going to ride it out’ — dangerous thinking,” he said. “I hope the recent storms have given people a moment to see how dangerous this is. It’s not a good situation at all.”

Meek posted a video prayer for the city Tuesday evening. “Tomorrow’s going to be a big day. We’ll see exactly where the storm is going, and then we’ll have to face it on Thursday no matter what.”