{"id":2015178,"date":"2023-08-29T07:51:02","date_gmt":"2023-08-29T11:51:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/idalia-strengthens-to-hurricane-as-it-advances-toward-florida\/"},"modified":"2023-08-29T07:54:42","modified_gmt":"2023-08-29T11:54:42","slug":"idalia-strengthens-to-hurricane-as-it-advances-toward-florida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/idalia-strengthens-to-hurricane-as-it-advances-toward-florida\/","title":{"rendered":"Idalia becomes hurricane, heads towards Florida."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fidalia-strengthens-to-hurricane-as-it-advances-toward-florida%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2015178&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<p>Hold on tight, Florida! Idalia \u2064has transformed into a powerful hurricane with winds reaching 75 mph, and it&#8217;s headed your way, according to the National Hurricane Center.<\/p>\n<p>This storm\u2063 is no joke. It&#8217;s \u200dprojected to become a Category 3 hurricane before it slams into The Sunshine State on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2062preparations are in full swing. Over 5,500 Florida National Guardsmen have been activated, 20,000 linemen from various states are en route \u2064or \u2064on \u200cstandby, search-and-rescue teams are ready,\u200c and evacuations are underway in\u200d 15 Gulf Coast counties.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\">\n<div class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related Stories<\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/desantis-lays-out-proactive-preparation-for-floridas-first-hurricane-hit-of-2023-post-5481476\">DeSantis Warns Floridians to Be &#8216;Vigilant&#8217; as Idalia Approaches<\/a>\n          <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">8\/27\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/desantis-lays-out-proactive-preparation-for-floridas-first-hurricane-hit-of-2023-post-5481476\"><\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/desantis-issues-warning-as-idalia-forecast-to-hit-florida-as-a-hurricane-5481782\">DeSantis Declares Widespread Emergency as Hurricane Forecast to Hit Florida<\/a>\n          <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">8\/28\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/desantis-issues-warning-as-idalia-forecast-to-hit-florida-as-a-hurricane-5481782\"><\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The Navy has dispatched ships, schools and universities in 38 districts have canceled classes, and airports, businesses, and homes are being fortified and closed.<\/p>\n<p>But the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/idalia-strengthens-to-hurricane-as-it-advances-toward-florida\/\" title=\"Idalia becomes hurricane, heads towards Florida.\">real test lies ahead<\/a> for the 600,000\u200d Floridians anxiously monitoring a storm that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. In less than 36 hours, this &#8220;nasty&#8221; Category 3 hurricane is predicted to make\u2062 landfall somewhere between Tampa and Tallahassee.<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>In anticipation of Tropical Storm Idalia&#8217;s projected landfall \u2063as \u2063a hurricane, Alachua \u2062County residents\u200d fill sandbags at \u2064a makeshift\u200b public\u2063 works station in Alachua, Fla., on Aug. 28, \u200c2023. (Courtesy of Ray Holt)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s definitely coming. It\u2019s going to be a \u200bmajor hurricane. It is going \u200bto impact the state of Florida, so please take the proper precautions,&#8221; urged Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during a\u200b 6 p.m.\u200b update at the state&#8217;s Emergency Operations \u2062Center (EOC) in Tallahassee.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>According to Kevin Guthrie, \u2064Director of the Florida Division of Emergency\u200c Management, the latest update from \u200cthe National\u2064 Hurricane Center places Tropical Storm Idalia about 35 miles southwest of Cuba&#8217;s western \u2063tip. It boasts maximum sustained winds of around 70 mph, extending 150 miles from its core.<\/p>\n<p>The eye of the \u2063storm is expected to pass over Cuba tonight and then gain Category 3 hurricane strength throughout Tuesday into Wednesday morning. Forecasters predict\u200c it will crash ashore along Florida&#8217;s Gulf coast, \u2063specifically the \u200bBig \u2062Bend region.<\/p>\n<p>Gov. DeSantis\u200b highlighted a slight westward shift in the storm&#8217;s projected\u200b landfall, now targeting Taylor and Dixie counties instead of Levy County.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;That is a\u2063 slight deviation \u2062from what had been earlier today,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Look,\u2062 these things can change.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>Don&#8217;t Underestimate the Storm Surge<\/h2>\n<p>Both Gov. DeSantis and Director Guthrie emphasized that communities along the\u2062 Gulf Coast, from Tampa to the Panhandle, should not underestimate the potential impact of the storm surge, even if they are not directly in the storm&#8217;s path or &#8220;cone of uncertainty.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Although the updated projection shows a slight westward \u200dwobble, Mr. Guthrie warned that storm surge remains a significant\u2063 threat to coastal areas. In fact,\u2062 the latest models indicate an increase in forecasted storm surges, ranging from\u200c 4 to 7 feet in\u2063 some areas, 8 to 10 feet in others, and even higher in certain locations.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We are going to see portions of the Gulf Coast that will experience a 12-foot storm surge,&#8221; he cautioned. &#8220;We also expect heavy rainfall, with 4 to 8 inches predicted and up to \u200d12 inches\u200c in \u200bsome\u2062 areas, leading to flooding in north-central Florida&#8217;s Suwannee River Valley.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Guthrie further advised that isolated tornadoes and locally damaging wind gusts are likely to sweep across the Florida peninsula by midday on August\u200b 29. He urged those \u2064in low-lying Gulf coastal areas to head east to avoid the storm surge \u2063but warned that they would still face the storm&#8217;s fury on the\u200c &#8220;dirty side&#8221; of the hurricane.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If you&#8217;re moving inland, you&#8217;re going to be on the right front portion of that hurricane\u2014that&#8217;s what they call the &#8216;dirty side&#8217; of the storm,&#8221; Mr. Guthrie \u2064explained. &#8220;You&#8217;re going to experience problems again. You&#8217;re going to experience\u200b power outages, so please be prepared for those power outages.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>During the 6\u2062 p.m. update, Gov. DeSantis, who has temporarily suspended \u2064his presidential campaign to lead\u200c the state&#8217;s emergency response, declared \u2064states of emergency in 46 out of Florida&#8217;s 67 \u200ccounties. He also closed toll\u200b booths on state turnpikes in central \u2062and \u200dnorth Florida. President \u200dJoe Biden later declared a federal \u200dstate of emergency for \u2062the same 46-county area.<\/p>\n<p>Evacuation orders have been issued for\u200c <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tropical-storm-henri-makes-landfall-in-r-i-threat-of-flooding-across-southern-new-england\/\" title=\"Tropical Storm Henri makes landfall in R.I., threat of flooding across southern New England\">low-lying areas<\/a> in Baker, Citrus, Franklin, Fernando, \u200bHillsborough, Jefferson, Levy, Manatee, Marion, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota,\u2064 Taylor, Union, and Volusia counties. Shelters have been opened in 13 coastal counties, with more set to open tomorrow.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s a place you can go. You can be safe there, or go to a friend&#8217;s house, a family&#8217;s house. You can \u200dgo to hotels \u2064and do that. But you do not need to get on the road \u2063and try \u2064to drive hundreds of miles to get out of any impacts of the storm. That will not be \u200cadvisable and it&#8217;s not necessary. You don&#8217;t need to leave \u2062the state. You \u200cdon&#8217;t need to drive hundreds of miles. You don&#8217;t have to try to outrun the storm,&#8221; \u2063advised Gov. DeSantis.<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>The National Hurricane Center \u200creleased its forecast for Tropical Storm Idalia&#8217;s path on Monday, Aug. 28, 2023, showing the storm forming into a major, \u200dCategory 3 hurricane \u200bbefore hitting somewhere along Florida&#8217;s Gulf Coast. (NOAA\/NHC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Time Is of the Essence<\/h2>\n<p>Gov. DeSantis stressed\u200d the urgency\u200d of the situation for those in the\u2062 storm&#8217;s projected path.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Clearly, you have time\u200d today and, probably, for the better part of tomorrow&#8221; to finish preparations or evacuate to higher\u200d ground, he said. However, he warned that time \u2064is running out with each passing \u2063minute. &#8220;You are going to start seeing some impacts with winds and some nasty weather Tuesday night, and of course,\u2064 we&#8217;re expecting a landfall to happen sometime \u200bon Wednesday.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The governor has activated the full 5,500 National Guardsmen available, who have\u200b access to various assets on the ground\u2063 and in the air. They \u200bhave also deployed\u2064 247 Starlink internet devices, with \u200can additional 529 ready for \u2062deployment in impacted areas.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The Florida Chamber of Commerce is coordinating resources and having regular calls with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fact-check-are-unvaccinated-fema-health-care-workers-replacing-nurses-and-doctors-who-refuse-to-get-vaccinated-against-covid-19\/\" title=\"FACT CHECK: Are Unvaccinated FEMA Health Care Workers Replacing Nurses And Doctors Who Refuse To Get Vaccinated Against COVID-19?\">private sector partners<\/a> to ensure preparedness. Many of our companies have dealt with hurricanes\u2062 before, so \u200cthey&#8217;re \u2063ready,&#8221; Gov. \u2063DeSantis\u2062 added.<\/p>\n<p>More than 20,000 linemen are prepared\u2062 to respond as part of mutual aid agreements, with more on the \u200bway. The governor acknowledged that power outages are inevitable, stating, &#8220;I\u2064 would prepare to be without power. This thing comes in as a Category 3, it&#8217;s going to knock over trees, it&#8217;s going to knock\u2062 over power lines. It&#8217;s going to cause an interruption in service. So just be prepared for that.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>Memories \u200cOf Michael, Ian<\/h2>\n<div style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>One week after the \u2062passage of\u2063 Hurricane Ian, Bruce Hickey walks along the waterfront, now littered with debris including shrimp boats, on San Carlos Island, \u200cFort Myers Beach, Fla., on Oct. 5, 2022, (Rebecca Blackwell\/AP Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The stage is set, or soon will be, for Idalia&#8217;s arrival. &#8220;Obviously, we understand how important it is by staging as many people as \u200cwe do&#8221; to respond after the storm, said Gov. DeSantis. \u2063However, he cautioned that power outages are \u200clikely for those in the\u200d storm&#8217;s path.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I have no doubt those folks will get to work immediately once the storm has passed\u2063 and do a great job restoring [power], but there is\u200d not likely \u2062a situation where you&#8217;re not going to lose power at all if you are in the path of this storm,&#8221; he concluded.<\/p>\n<p>The governor also assured that the state has stockpiled over 400,000 gallons of fuel \u200band is ready to\u2064 deploy additional assets, especially for Gulf \u200cCoast gas stations.<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>More than 53 drivers wait in<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Idalia, now a hurricane with 75 mph winds, is heading towards Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center. It is predicted to become a Category 3 storm before hitting The Sunshine State on Wednesday. Over 5,500 Florida National Guardsmen and 20,000 linemen have been mobilized as of Aug. 28.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":509,"featured_media":2015179,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2015178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2015178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/509"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2015178"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2015178\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2015179"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2015178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2015178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2015178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}