Gov. DeSantis activates Florida National Guard, emergency operations center ahead of storm
Gov. Ron DeSantis Friday activated the state's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Tallahassee, as well as the Florida National Guard and Florida State Guard ahead of the Gulf weather system predicted for Florida that could become Tropical Storm Debby.
The governor on Thursday declared a state of emergency for 54 of the state's 67 counties, allowing state officials "to make critical resources available to communities ahead of any potential areas that the storm may impact," said a news release from the governor's office.
And Friday, he amended his executive order to extend the state of emergency to another seven counties, bringing the total to 61.
The full list is now Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Glades, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Monroe, Nassau, Okaloosa, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, Wakulla, Walton, and Washington counties.
The state's Division of Emergency Management "is hosting daily calls with all 67 counties to identify needs and to ensure the state is prepared to respond quickly and efficiently. Additionally, FDEM is coordinating with state agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private sector partners for any potential resource requests," according to the release.
As part of those preparations, the state EOC was at Level 1, or "full scale activation," meaning it operates 24 hours a day with "all primary and support agencies under the state," the division's website explains.
Also, the "Florida National Guard has approximately 3,000 service members readying for response efforts," and the Florida State Guard has "70 members to support response and recovery operations," as well as equipment that includes amphibious rescue vehicles and "search and rescue crews prepared to deploy from Camp Blanding."
Other highlights from the press release:
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has "readied high-water vehicles and all other storm response resources statewide."
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement's "Emergency Preparedness Unit is activated and deployed" to the EOC and its mobile command bus is ready for use.
The Florida Department of Corrections has "evacuation plans in place, should the need arise, to relocate inmates ... is evaluating major institutions that may be at risk of flash flooding."
The Florida Department of Transportation is "clearing (highway) shoulders in preparation for potential emergency use" and is "analyzing flooding vulnerabilities for major roadways and bridges."
The Florida Department of Health is "staging 90 ambulances throughout the state to support emergency evacuations as needed."
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services "is coordinating with Florida’s ports and fuel industry partners to ensure adequate fuel supplies are available across Florida."
For more information
Visit FloridaDisaster.org/Updates.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: DeSantis activates Florida National Guard for possible tropical storm