Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced Monday afternoon that he is declaring a state of emergency for 41 counties due to the potential effects of Tropical Storm 9, which is expected to become a named storm in the coming days.
The state's southeastern counties of Palm Beach, Miami-Dade and Broward are not part of the declaration, but Monroe County, where the Florida Keys are located, is included.
“We are tracking possible Tropical Cyclone #9 and will likely strengthen this week as the system moves into the Gulf of Mexico. I have issued Executive Order 24-208“Declaring a state of emergency in 41 Florida counties has directed Florida agencies to anticipate and prepare for the potential impacts of the storm,” the governor said in his X statement.
Residents from coastal Louisiana to the west coast of Florida are encouraged to monitor the forecast over the next few days, according to the latest bulletin from the National Hurricane Center (NHC). While it's too early to determine where the system will head, the Florida Panhandle in the Big Bend area could be the epicenter of impact later in the week.
We are tracking possible Tropical Storm #9 this week as the system enters the Gulf of Mexico. Storm damage in 41 Florida counties and…
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) September 23, 2024
A dangerous risk of heavy rain, isolated severe thunderstorms and rip currents is possible on both sides of the Florida peninsula.
Due to conditions that were “expected to be a major disaster,” DeSantis declared a state of emergency for the following counties: Alachua, Bay, Bradford, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, Columbia, Dixie, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hernando. , Hillsborough, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Monroe, Okaloosa, Pasco, Pinellas, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Sumter, Swanler, , Union, Wakulla, Walton and Washington .
Action in these instances is usually taken to act quickly and have resources available in case of an emergency.
For South Florida, conditions will be determined by the position and intensity of the potential storm, which is not in the system's potential track cone. These include breezes, passing rain, high tides and hazardous sea conditions.
If it becomes the next named system of the hurricane season, it will be called “Helen.”
