Hurricane Idalia hit Florida’s Gulf coast as a fearsome Category 3 storm early Wednesday, threatening a “catastrophic” storm surge and blistering winds in excess of 125 mph.
The storm was moving northeast at 18 mph around 7 a.m., as Sunshine State Governor Ron DeSantis warned that the major hurricane was expected to make landfall in the Big Bend region around 8 a.m.
Although it was downgraded earlier Wednesday to Category 3, The National Hurricane Center issued a warning“These changes in wind speed do not reduce the threat of catastrophic storm surge and damaging winds.”
The storm is upgrading over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico before heading northeast and is expected to make landfall around the Big Bend region, the sparsely populated area where the peninsula joins the Panhandle.
Authorities warned there could be a “catastrophic storm surge and destructive winds” as the storm moves ashore late Wednesday morning.
The National Weather Service office in Tallahassee described the storm as “unprecedented” because no major hurricane on record has ever passed through the bay that borders the Big Bend region.
Officials urged residents in Taylor and Dixie counties to take shelter immediately, as winds reached more than 130 mph and storm surges were expected to reach 16 feet.
“If you have a storm surge of 16 feet, then the chances of survival are not great,” DeSantis told reporters Wednesday.
More than 60,000 customers were without power across the state Wednesday morning, according to data from poweroutage.us.
DeSantis said 49 of the state’s 67 counties are under a state of emergency.
It was projected to make landfall late Wednesday morning as a Category 4 storm with winds of at least 130 mph in the lightly populated Big Bend region, where the Florida Panhandle curves into the peninsula.NOAA
The storm’s impact could be a major blow to the state, which is still dealing with lingering damage from last year’s Hurricane Ian.
On the island of Cedar Key, Commissioner Sue Colson was among city officials sorting through documents and electronics at City Hall on Tuesday.
He also urged the nearly 900 residents under mandatory evacuation orders to follow them.
A street in Gulfport, Fla., flooded as the eye of Hurricane Idalia headed toward the state. Gulfport, FL public webcam
“One word: Go,” Colson said. “It’s not something to talk about.”
DeSantis repeated that warning at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
“You really have to go now. Now is the time,” he said. Earlier, the governor insisted that residents do not necessarily have to leave the state, but should “find higher ground in a safe structure.”
Not everyone heeded the warning. Andy Bair, owner of the Island Hotel, said he intends to “babysit” his bed and breakfast, which predates the Civil War.
The National Weather Service in Tallahassee called Idalia an “unprecedented event” because no major hurricane on record has passed through the bay adjacent to Big Bend.EM Hillock / SplashNews.com
The building hasn’t flooded in the nearly 20 years he’s owned it, even when Hurricane Hermine flooded the city in 2016.
“As the custodian of the oldest building in Cedar Key, I feel like I need to be here,” Bair said. “We have proven many times that we will not disappear. We might be a little uncomfortable for a few days, but we’ll be fine in the end.”
Tolls have been waived on highways out of the danger zone, shelters are open and hotels are ready to receive evacuees.
More than a dozen state troopers went door-to-door warning residents that storm surge could rise as high as 15 feet.EM Hillock / SplashNews.com
More than 30,000 utility workers are assembling to make repairs as quickly as possible after the hurricane.
About 5,500 National Guard troops have been activated.
Walt Disney World has announced that it will close Typhoon Lagoon water park, Winter Summerland miniature golf and Fantasia Gardens miniature golf in preparation for Wednesday’s storm.
Residents in Batabano, Cuba, remain outside their homes in flooded neighborhoods after Typhoon Idalia approached the island on Monday.AFP via Getty Images
In Tarpon Springs, a beach community northwest of Tampa, 60 patients were evacuated from hospitals because of fears the system could bring a 7-foot storm surge.
After making landfall in the Big Bend region, Idalia is forecast to cross the Florida peninsula and then drench southern Georgia and the Carolinas on Thursday.
Both Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster declared states of emergency, freeing state resources and personnel, including hundreds of National Guard troops.
People in Cedar Key carry their belongings next to buildings covered with plywood as the city prepares for the hurricane. CRISTOBAL HERRERA-ULASHKEVICH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
A worker secures plywood in front of a store in Cedar Key, Fla., as Hurricane Idalia heads toward mainland Florida.CRISTOBAL HERRERA-ULASHKEVICH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
“We’re going to prepare to the best of our ability,” said Russell Guess, who was filling up his truck in Valdosta, Georgia. His co-workers at Cunningham Tree Service did the same. “There will be trees in people’s homes, trees over power lines.”
As of 2 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Idalia was about 100 miles southwest of Cedar Key and 175 miles south of Tallahassee, the National Hurricane Center said.
With Postal wire
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