Fresh Take Florida
Two more counties along Florida’s Big Bend region have ordered all residents to evacuate ahead of the approaching storm.
Leaders in Taylor County, which includes the communities of Perry and Steinhatchee, told everyone late Tuesday they must leave effective immediately. The county has about 22,000 residents.
The sheriff’s office said in a statement that the approaching storm was predicted to be a “catastrophic and life-threatening storm system” that would be “unlike anything we have experienced to date.”
The sheriff put in place a curfew effective from sunset to sunrise. Emergency management officials there urged residents to seek help in shelters in Gainesville, about 70 miles away.
In nearby Franklin County, the sheriff said the mandatory evacuation order affected people living near Alligator Point, Dog Island, St. George Island or low-lying areas of the county. The county has about 12,500 residents.
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This story was produced by Fresh Take Florida, a news service of the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. The reporter can be reached at sophia.bailly@
