Governor Ron DeSantis Issues Updates on State Preparedness Efforts Ahead of Hurricane Helene

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Today, Governor Ron DeSantis was joined by Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) Executive Director Kevin Guthrie in Tampa to meet with power and utility linemen staged and ready to respond to power outages caused by Hurricane Helene, and to provide updates on state preparedness efforts before the storm’s landfall.

Following Governor DeSantis’ request, FEMA approved the state’s pre-landfall disaster declaration request. This will provide important resources and assistance from the federal government, including personnel, equipment and supplies, as well as making available funding sources for emergency protective measures. The pre-landfall declaration request is for the 41 Florida counties included in Executive Order 24-208.

Governor DeSantis issued Executive Order 24-209 on September 24, updating EO 24-208 and declaring a state of emergency for 61 counties, which allows for state officials to make critical resources available to communities ahead of any potential storm impacts.

Voluntary and mandatory evacuation orders are in effect in multiple counties statewide. Residents need to evacuate as soon as possible if they are under a mandatory evacuation order. Counties under evacuation orders can be found at FloridaDisaster.org/EvacuationOrders.

Residents in need of assistance finding or going to a shelter in the Big Bend region for Hurricane Helene can call (800) 729-3413. FDEM team members will be conducting callbacks from messages received last night, as well as accepting new calls today, to facilitate shelter coordination. For additional resources and assistance, residents can call the State Assistance Information Line (SAIL) at (800) 342-3557. Assistance is available in English, Spanish and Haitian-Creole.

As of 11AM ET, the storm has strengthened into Hurricane Helene, with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph. Helene is expected to move across the eastern Gulf of Mexico and to the Florida Big Bend coast by Thursday evening. Additional strengthening is forecast, and Helene is expected to be a major hurricane when it reaches landfall.

Watches and warnings in effect include

Hurricane Warning: western Alachua, coastal Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, coastal Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, western Marion, coastal Pasco, Suwannee, Taylor and Wakulla counties

Hurricane Watch: inland Citrus, inland Hernando, coastal Hillsborough, coastal Manatee, inland Pasco, Pinellas, coastal Sarasota

Tropical Storm Warning: central and eastern Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Calhoun, Charlotte, inland Citrus, Clay, Collier,  DeSoto, Duval, Flagler, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, inland Hernando, Hillsborough, Holmes, Indian River, Jackson, Lake, Lee, Miami-Dade, Monroe (including Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas), Manatee, central and eastern Marion, Martin, Nassau, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, inland Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, Union, Volusia, Walton, Washington

Storm Surge Warning: along the entire Florida Big Bend and West Coast through Southwest Florida

Storm Surge Watch: Coastal Bay and Gulf counties along Mexico Beach to Indian Pass

Floridians are encouraged to know their risks from hurricane hazards and prepare for potential impacts from Hurricane Helene. To learn more, residents can visit FloridaDisaster.org/Guide.

Counties have begun their preparation efforts including measures like sandbag stations. For updates on county resources available visit FloridaDisaster.org/Counties for a list of all 67 county emergency management contacts.

State Preparedness Efforts