Tropical Storm Nestor threatens U.S. Gulf Coast

Fla. not expecting devastation like Michael caused in 2018

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Tropical Storm Nestor bore down on the northern Gulf Coast with high winds, surging seas and heavy rains Friday evening, threatening to hit an area of the Florida Panhandle devastated one year ago by Hurricane Michael.

But unlike Michael, a powerful storm that left thousands of people homeless and nearly wiped the Panhandle city of Mexico Beach off the map, Florida wasn’t bracing for a catastrophe.

“We’ve done very little preparation only because there’s nothing really to prepare for,” said Mexico City Beach Mayor Al Cathey. “We haven’t seen any alarm at all.”

As of Friday evening, the state had activated its emergency operations center, but only at its lowest level. In an area that’s recently gone weeks without rain, the storm was seen more as a welcome sight.

“You have to keep it in perspective: 75% of our city was destroyed,” Cathey said. “A little rain is welcome. Hopefully it won’t be something crazy, but if that’s all it is, I can deal with that. There’s nothing in this system that I’ve seen that tells me Mexico Beach needs to be alarmed.”

Nestor was forecast to hit the coast around Mexico Beach on Saturday morning without strengthening into a hurricane. Blasted by Michael in October 2018, the area is still trying to recover.

The National Hurricane Center said high winds and dangerous storm surge were likely along parts of the northern Gulf Coast. And heavy rains had already began pelting parts of the coastline Friday evening, welcome relief for a parched region dealing with a drought.

With conditions deteriorating by the hour, events including high school football games were canceled or postponed.

But officials were trying to calm fears of a hard hit similar to Michael last year.

Forecasters said Nestor was centered Friday night about 140 miles southwest of Panama City, Florida. It had top sustained winds of 60 mph and was moving to the northeast at 23 mph.

A tropical storm warning was in effect from Navarre, Florida, to Yankeetown, Florida. A storm surge warning is in effect for Indian Pass, Florida, to Clearwater Beach, Florida.

The hurricane center said Nestor was expected to head inland across the Panhandle on Saturday morning and cross parts of the Southeast over the weekend before moving into the Atlantic off North Carolina by late Sunday.