PREPARING FOR THE WORST

Florida Declares State of Emergency Ahead of Tropical Storm

The state’s Gulf coast is in the line of impact.

A state of emergency has been issued for more than 30 counties on Florida’s west coast as the state prepares for a tropical storm. On Saturday, Gov. Ron DeSantis suggested residents have hurricane supply kits stocked up and said he declared the warning “out of an abundance of caution to ensure that the Florida Division of Emergency Management can begin staging resources and Floridians have plenty of time to prepare their families for a storm next week.” Currently, it would be named “Idalia” if no other tropical storms come before it. Florida expects heavy rainfall, strong winds, and possible tornado development as the storm strengthens over the next week.