‘Catastrophic surge’ could wallop Florida
Gulf Coast braces for hurricane force to make landfall
FORT MYERS, Fla. − Tropical Storm Idalia was intensifying and threatened to slam across Florida’s Gulf Coast sometime Wednesday as a major hurricane with “life-threatening storm surge and dangerous winds,” the National Hurricane Center said.
The storm was forecast to reach hurricane strength by Tuesday, the hurricane center said.
Ryan Truchelut, chief meteorologist at Florida-based WeatherTiger, said conditions remained ripe for rapid intensification starting Tuesday morning. He projected landfall by midday Wednesday somewhere along the Big Bend and Nature Coast. Idalia could become just the second Category 3 or higher hurricane to make landfall there in the past 170 years, he said.
“Idalia will likely bring catastrophic surge to a broad swath of the west-central Florida and Big Bend coastline and a core of destructive winds to an unlucky but still unknown swath of North Florida,” said Truchelut, who provides forecasts for the USA TODAY Network.
Hurricane watches were in effect along more than 300 miles of the Florida Coast − from Longboat Key, 60 miles south of Tampa, to the Ochlockonee River near Tallahassee. A major hurricane is a Category 3, 4 or 5 storm or higher on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind speed scale; a storm becomes a Category 3 hurricane when maximum wind speeds reach at least 111 mph.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor declared a state of emergency. A surge of up to 7 feet is possible in the Tampa Bay area, and any shift of the storm’s path eastward could increase the dangers for the sprawling metropolitan area.
Pasco County, north of Tampa, issued a mandatory evacuation order for some areas − and throughout the county of almost 600,000 people for those living in manufactured or mobile homes or RVs. The county will have shelters open by Tuesday morning.
“Please consider riding out the storm with family or friends,” county officials said in a statement. “If that’s not an option, you can evacuate directly to a Pasco County shelter.”
The storm’s center was expected to reach the southeastern Gulf of Mexico by early Tuesday after sweeping over or near western Cuba. Idalia was forecast to gain speed and turn northnortheast toward Florida. Up to 11 feet of ocean water could surge over the Florida shoreline and along inland rivers and creeks as the storm rolls in, raising concerns for flooding that could be extensive.
In Pine Island, the island’s entire electrical grid was taken down less than a year ago by Hurricane Ian. Fire District chief Ben Mickuleit said he wasn’t as concerned about the potential for power grid damage as he was for homes hit by Ian that had not yet been fully repaired. Mickuleit advised residents prepare their homes by moving outdoor furniture inside. Sand and sandbags would be available at the firehouse, he said.
Julia Simpson, secretary of nonprofit charitable organization Matlacha Hookers, said people in Pine
“I think everyone’s a little more hypervigilant about doing those things this time. Since it’s so uncertain and it is in the Gulf, people are trying to get the basics taken care of.”
Julia Simpson Secretary of nonprofit charitable organization Matlacha Hookers, on people in Pine Island’s St. James City, Fla.
Island’s St. James City who saw significant flooding during Ian have begun moving vehicles and themselves to higher ground and filling bathtubs.
“I think everyone’s a little more hypervigilant about doing those things this time,” she said. “Since it’s so uncertain and it is in the Gulf, people are trying to get the basics taken care of.”
Tampa airport, port plan shutdowns
Tampa International Airport was expected to be shut down Tuesday morning and expects to reopen Thursday morning after assessments of the damage, authorities said. Port Tampa Bay already was closed for inbound ships because of the coming storm, although “landside” operations such as fueling remain open, authorities said. The Coast Guard has set the port conditions to YANKEE, meaning gale force winds are possible within 24 hours.
“The port has been in contact with our partner fuel terminal operators and have been assured they are prepared to deliver fuel and support consumers,” the port said in a statement.
Popular island spot Cabbage Key is getting ready
On Lee County’s Cabbage Key, they are taking preparations seriously at the popular island spot Cabbage Key Inn & Restaurant, where Jimmy Buffett is rumored to have written the song “Cheeseburger in Paradise.” The popular post-fishing trip stop is closing down ahead of the storm, and employees who left the island were given Tuesday and Wednesday off.
“We are battening down the hatches,” said restaurant manager Thomas James, explaining that the restaurant was doing its typical hurricane prep in case the storm turned or intensified.
Because of Cabbage Key’s remote location, a number of employees live in dorm-style housing. James said the restaurant had not yet decided to evacuate its employees yet, but there was room at its Bokeelia-based sister restaurant Tarpon Lodge and “plenty of boats to take employees off-island.”
Local leaders’ message to residents: Don’t panic
Some barrier islands along Southwest Florida, such as Pine Island, Matlacha, Sanibel and Fort Myers Beach, saw widespread devastation from Hurricane Ian’s heavy winds and 14-foothigh storm surge less than one year ago. Now, faced with Hurricane Idalia, local leaders were urging people to stay calm but prepare.
Jen and Kevin Russell, who run the popular Facebook page Things to do on Pine Island, are considered the unofficial mayors of the unincorporated island. The Russells’ message to Pine Islanders was simple: Don’t panic.
“We don’t want to create any anxiety for people,” Jen said, adding that fear might keep people from smart decisions. Kevin said they planned to keep Pine Islanders informed through their Facebook page, as they did during Ian.
Sanibel, blasted by Ian, works the checklist
Sanibel City Council member Holly Smith, who was mayor when Hurricane Ian devastated the island in September, said that as a hotelier she’s busy preparing while navigating a flurry of meetings Monday. On the schedule so far: the fire district, Lee County Electric Cooperative, a likely City Council meeting and a roundtable with Sen. Rick Scott about lessons learned from Hurricane Ian. She said she has asked Lee County officials for a state of emergency to prepare for evacuations and other responses as the storm grows stronger.
She estimated there are about 1,000 residents on the island and fewer than 100 visitors because of limited room availability.
After Ian, “I would rather have a citizen upset with me for a couple of days if nothing comes to pass, then have to handle the mess we did post-Ian,” she said.
Coastal areas brace for flooding from storm surge
Storm surge – a rapid increase in water levels that push inland up rivers and streams – was expected to create a serious flooding threat along Florida’s west coast. The National Hurricane Center increased and extended its surge forecast with the expectation that Idalia would become a major hurricane, with winds in excess of 110 mph, as it neared the coast. Idalia was expected to make landfall during a full moon, the time of the month when tides are at their highest.
The center warned that the surge could be as high as 7 to 11 feet from the Big Bend south to Homosassa Springs, and a storm surge warning is in place from St. Marks, Florida, south to Port Charlotte. The surge could be on the higher end of the forecast if Idalia makes landfall at high tide.
The peak surge forecast decreases by degrees further south along the coast, but could be anywhere from 3 feet to 9 feet, depending on the proximity to landfall, the hurricane center said.
Neighbor helping neighbor in Manatee County
Dave Clement, 66, lives on the second level of a condo building in Bradenton Beach south of Tampa. He drove a couple of miles south to Coquina Beach, where Manatee County workers dumped sand and bags for locals preparing for the storm. Clement said he was shoveling sandbags for his downstairs neighbor, who was traveling.
Clement said that while it remained unclear where the storm will hit, it was best to prepared for whatever might come.
“When you live in a condo association, you know, you’re all connected,” Clement said. “That’s how I look at it. You want to make sure your neighbor’s going to be OK.”
State expects power outages, preps for water rescues
Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has declared a state of emergency for half the state’s counties, warned that trees will come down and power outages are “just going to happen.” The state mobilized 1,100 National Guard members with 2,400 high water vehicles and 12 aircraft to prepare for rescues, he said. The state’s emergency operations center in Tallahassee had shifted into around-theclock operations early Monday.
“These things can wobble, so Floridians along our Gulf Coast should be vigilant, even if you are currently outside” the likely track of the storm, he said.
Damaging winds, up to 18 inches of rain
“Major, life-threatening flooding” was possible, with 4 to 8 inches of rain possible from northern Florida through the Southeast − and some areas could see up to 18 inches of rain, AccuWeather said. AccuWeather meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said damaging winds of 40 to 60 mph can be expected across Florida and parts of the Southeast in the coming days.
“Closest to where the tropical system makes landfall, however, wind gusts of up to 120 to 140 mph can occur,” he said.
Contaminated gas complicates storm preparations
Drivers along Florida’s Gulf Coast were told they could have purchased gas contaminated with diesel fuel over the weekend as residents in the area prepared for Idalia. Florida officials warned that any fuel purchased after 10 a.m. on Saturday at stations supplied by Citgo from the Port of Tampa had a strong likelihood of being contaminated with diesel fuel.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said contaminated gasoline and diesel could damage the engine or affect its operation.
Idalia will also target Georgia, Carolinas, Virginia
Georgia, South and North Carolina and Virginia were expected to be the next targets as Idalia sweeps over Florida, forecasters say. Up to 8 inches and wind gusts of more than 40 mph were likely through eastern Georgia and the Carolinas and possibly Virginia later in the week and approaching Labor Day weekend.
“By late week, the storm can turn toward the east and reemerge over the Atlantic Ocean,” Buckingham said. “At this point, little reintensification can be expected, and the system will be moving away from the East Coast toward Bermuda.”
Hurricane Franklin, the season’s first ‘major’ hurricane
Hurricane Franklin was rapidly intensifying and had reached Category 4 strength Monday with maximum sustained winds estimated at 145 mph. The first “major” hurricane of the season, the storm was centered north of Grand Turk Island and was moving north-northwest.
Later this week, Franklin was forecast to hit Bermuda, AccuWeather said. Franklin also was expected to be felt along the U.S. East Coast, where “rough surf and rip currents could imperil swimmers as summer winds down,” AccuWeather warned.