Ahead of a potential hurricane impacting Florida next week, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday declared a state of emergency for 24 counties, including Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee counties.
DeSantis issued Executive Order 22-218 and requested a federal pre-landfall emergency declaration in anticipation of impacts from the storm.
The governor said this declaration will make available important resources and support, as well as free up funding sources for emergency protective measures.
Under the emergency order, members of the Florida National Guard will be activated and on standby awaiting orders.
“This storm has the potential to strengthen into a major hurricane and we encourage all Floridians to make their preparations,” DeSantis said in a written statement. “We are coordinating with all state and local government partners to track potential impacts of this storm.”
According to Fox News:
On Friday afternoon, a Hurricane Watch was issued for the Cayman Islands and a Tropical Storm Watch was issued for Jamaica.
A Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area. A watch is typically issued 48 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force
winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous.
A Tropical Storm Watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 48 hours.
As of midday Friday, Tropical Depression Nine was in the central Caribbean Sea and centered more than 430 miles east-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 930 miles southeast of Havana, Cuba.
The tropical depression had maximum sustained winds of about 35 mph and was moving west-northwestward at 15 mph.
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