On Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for counties in the path of Hurricane Dorian.
“The Governor is urging all Floridians on the East Coast to prepare for impacts, as the latest forecasts from the National Hurricane Center project Hurricane Dorian will make landfall on Florida’s East Coast as a major hurricane,” it said in a press release.
Tropical Storm Dorian officially became a hurricane Wednesday afternoon and is also projected to hit Florida’s east coast as a Category 3.
By declaring a state of emergency, DeSantis is giving state and local governments on the east coast ample time, resources and flexibility to prepare for the storm.
The executive order declaring the state of emergency specifically names more than two dozen counties including Baker, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Glades, Hendry, Highlands, Indian River, Lake, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Nassau, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Putnam, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Volusia and Union.
In the 2 p.m. National Hurricane Center advisory, forecasters said the storm is still moving at 13 mph, with Florida remaining in the 5 day cone of uncertainty.
“Because of the uncertainty in the track of this storm, every resident along the East Coast needs to be ready,” Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz said in the release.
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