DeSantis: Stay vigilant as Ian approaches, make ‘best decisions’ on possible evacuations
As Tropical Storm Ian continued on track toward Florida Sunday morning, Gov. Ron DeSantis reiterated warnings about weather’s capricious nature and urged residents to monitor what could be shifting forecasts in the coming days.
“The path is uncertain,” DeSantis warned during a media conference in Tallahassee. “Don’t get too wedded to the cone.”
Asked about potential evacuation orders, the governor said no decisions had been made yet and will depend on the track of the storm. And ultimately, he said, it will be up to residents to follow through on orders from emergency managers in coastal counties.
“If there’s an evacuation notice — cops aren’t going to come and drag you out of your house, you’re going to make those decisions,” DeSantis said. “But, when that is issued, that’s a view that there’s a hazard by remaining in that area. So, we just want everybody to know that and hopefully be able to make the best decisions for themselves and their families.”
DeSantis reminded residents that Ian, forecast to hit Florida as a hurricane, could come ashore anywhere from the Tampa-St. Petersburg area to the Pensacola area, the western end of the Florida Panhandle. The sustained winds could measure from Category 1 to Category 4, depending on where it lands.
READ MORE: Sunday’s latest on Tropical Storm Ian, expected to grow into a hurricane
And, Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said, though all forecasts have Ian building wind speed to Category 4 strength, “That envelope of water will not stop due to high pressure and dry air. That has no bearing on storm surge. So we could see a Category 4 storm surge and a Category 1 or 2 landfall.”
Storm surge and flooding chances determine evacuation zones as much or more so than vulnerability to being blasted by high winds. Guthrie requested Floridians check the FloridaDisaster.org website to learn their storm evacuation zone.
“If your home address is not in one of the labeled colors, you do not live in an evacuation zone,” Guthrie said. “Therefore, you need to know your home. Does your home have the ability to sustain tropical storm force or hurricane winds. Do you live in a manufactured home? Are you in a low-lying home? If you’re in a manufactured home or low-lying area or some other structure that cannot sustain winds, you will need to evacuate when your local emergency manager asks you to do so.”
READ MORE: Are you a hurricane rookie? Here’s what you need to do to prepare
Guthrie also said, however, Florida “overevacuated” residents by two million before 2017’s Hurricane Irma made landfall. DeSantis said ordering evacuations is a balance between giving people time to get out and creating clogged roads with crashes and fatalities.
This story was originally published September 25, 2022 at 2:50 PM.
