Governor Ron DeSantis Issues Updates on Preparedness Efforts and Response to Hurricane Helene

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Today, Governor Ron DeSantis was joined by Major General John D. Haas, Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) Executive Director, Kevin Guthrie, Colonel Gary Howze of the Florida Highway Patrol, and Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Purdue at the State Emergency Operations Center to provide updates on final state preparation efforts and to encourage final evacuations or sheltering in place as Hurricane Helene begins impacting the state of Florida. As of 5:00 pm ET, Hurricane Helene was located 175 miles south of Tallahassee, with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph. As of 6:00pm ET, Hurricane Helene was upgraded to a category 4 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph. It is still expected to make landfall at the Florida Big Bend this evening. Hurricane-force winds extend over 60 miles from the center, and tropical-force winds extend upwards up to 310 miles.

Ninety shelters are open throughout the state in preparation for landfall by Hurricane Helene, including 2 state-operated shelters in Tallahassee and DeFuniak Springs. These shelters are housing over 4,700 residents from areas that may be severely affected by Hurricane Helene.

Governor DeSantis issued Executive Order 24-209 on September 24, updating EO 24-208 and declaring a state of emergency for 61 counties. This allows state officials to make critical resources available to communities ahead of any potential storm impacts.

Voluntary and mandatory evacuation orders are in effect in multiple counties statewide. Residents need to evacuate if they are under a mandatory evacuation order. Counties under evacuation orders can be found at FloridaDisaster.org/EvacuationOrders.

Residents in the big bed area needing assistance finding or going to a shelter in the Big Bend region for Hurricane Helene can call (800) 729-3413. FDEM team members are conducting callbacks from messages received last night and accepting new calls today to facilitate shelter coordination. For additional resources and assistance, residents can call the State Assistance Information Line (SAIL) at (800) 342-3557. Assistance is available in English, Spanish, and Haitian-Creole.

Watches and warnings in effect include:
Hurricane Warning: Western Alachua, coastal Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, coastal Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, western Marion, coastal Pasco, Suwannee, Taylor and Wakulla counties
Hurricane Watch: Inland Citrus, inland Hernando, coastal Hillsborough, coastal Manatee, inland Pasco, Pinellas, coastal Sarasota
Tropical Storm Warning: Central and eastern Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Calhoun, Charlotte, inland Citrus, Clay, Collier,  DeSoto, Duval, Flagler, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, inland Hernando, Hillsborough, Holmes, Indian River, Jackson, Lake, Lee, Miami-Dade, Monroe (including Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas), Manatee, central and eastern Marion, Martin, Nassau, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, inland Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, Union, Volusia, Walton, Washington
Storm Surge Warning: Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, Dixie, Franklin, Gulf, Hernando, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Monroe, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota, Taylor and Wakulla counties

To learn more, residents can visit FloridaDisaster.org/Guide.  For updates on county resources available visit FloridaDisaster.org/Counties for a list of all 67 county emergency management contacts.

State Preparedness Efforts