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Hurricane Warning: North Florida, Big Bend brace for Debby's deluge, wind
and surge
William L. Hatfield
Ana Gon~i-Lessan
Tallahassee Democrat

The National Hurricane Center put the Big Bend on Hurricane Warning
Saturday as a strengthening Tropical Storm Debby set its sights on a north Florida landfall.

Forecasters hoisted Hurricane Warnings and Tropical Storm Warnings for the state after the storm's track nudged westward. The system will spend more
time over the superheated Gulf of Mexico and have more time to intensify
into a low-end hurricane during its collision course with the Florida
coast.

The expanded threat comes hours after Gov. Ron DeSantis mobilized the
National Guard and extended the state of emergency from 54 to 61 of
Florida's 67 counties.

Here are the latest updates.
WeatherTiger dissects Debby's impacts

WeatherTiger meteorologist Dr. Ryan Truchelut, who writes hurricane
forecasts for the USA TODAY NETWORK, developed a threat breakdown for
Florida's first threat from a hurricane season that could well become the
worst on record.

In the forecast, Truchelut predicts a low-end hurricane landfall between Carrabelle and Cedar Key. He also posits that rain may be Debby's most destructive legacy.

Read the full forecast here.
Franklin County issues mandatory evacuation of barrier islands

With the Apalachicola area expecting 2-6 inches of rain, 3-5 feet of surge
and winds of 58 – 73 mph, Franklin County Emergency Management is the
latest north Florida County to call for evacuations.

"Franklin County will be issuing a mandatory evacuation for all barrier
islands (St. George Island, Dog Island and Alligator Point), low lying and flood prone areas especially along the coast and rivers, and RV parks
effective Sunday at 6 a.m."
A breakdown of Hurricane Warnings, Tropical Storm Warnings and Tropical
Storm Watches.

Additional evacuations may be issued if there are changes in storm track or intensity.

"If you feel unsafe then do not shelter at home, leave until the storm has passed and then return."

Click here for a list of shelters.
City calls on mutal aid, power crew reinforcements from Alabama, Louisiana

In an early evening text alert, the City of Tallahassee said reinforcements
are on the way for any power restoration effort that will be required in Debby's wake.

"Mutual aid resources have been requested from utilities in Alabama &
Louisiana while Florida utilities are on hold until the storm's path is
better known," the city wrote. "Crews will begin arriving in Tallahassee tomorrow into Monday."

The text alert also noted that city administrative offices will be closed
on Monday. All City staff has been refocused to storm response duties.
Leon County opens emergency shelters

Leon County in coordination with Leon County Schools will open six shelters
at 4 p.m. on Sunday.

The locations below will be available:

Fort Braden School,15100 Blountstown Hwy
Chiles High School, 7200 Lawton Chiles Lane (pet-accessible)
Rickards High School, 3013 Jim Lee Road
Lincoln High School, 3838 Trojan Trail
Fairview Middle School, 3415 Zillah St.
SAIL High School, 2006 Jackson Bluff Road

FAMU campus closes Sunday and Monday

FAMU will be closed from noon Sunday through Monday, as will the
Viticulture Center and the Quincy Farm, according to a press release from
the university.

The campus food pantry will be open until noon Sunday to facilitate
students.

The FAMU Central Florida Pharmacy Practice Center in Tampa and the
Northeast Florida Pharmacy Center's Jacksonville offices will be closed on Monday. The Brooksville Agricultural and Environmental Research Station
will also be closed on Monday.

A decision on the re-opening of the main campus and satellite locations
will be made depending on the impact of the inclement weather.
Leon County Schools closes, six campuses to be used as shelters

Leon County Schools will close on Monday, and six schools will be used as shelters.

For athletic practices scheduled for Monday afternoon, the district will
make the decision after speaking with athletic directors on Monday morning, according to a post on social media.
Major flooding possible for Big Bend

With expected rainfall totals between 4 and 6 inches around Tallahassee,
the Big Bend could experience major flooding, according to the National
Weather Service in Tallahassee.

"With that much rain, river flooding looks increasingly likely during and
after the storm," the NWS stated on social media.

A storm surge warning is now in effect from Indian Pass east to the
Suwannee river. Franklin County's Indian Pass to the Aucilla River which borders Jefferson and Madison counties may have storm surge of 3 to 5 feet.
FSU closes Sunday and Monday

Florida State University's Tallahassee campus will close on Sunday and
Monday, according to a social media post from the university.

The closure begins at 12 p.m. Sunday and will run until 11 p.m. on Monday.
 FSU expects to reopen on Aug. 6.
Tropical Storm Debby is born, expected to be a hurricane at landfall

In the 5 p.m. advisory, the National Hurricane Center announced that the
storm has cleared Cuba and has become Tropical Storm Debby with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph.
Tropical Storm Debby path as of 5 p.m. Saturday

The storm is expected to careen into the Big Bend packing as much as 75mph winds. Coastal Big Bend counties are under a Hurricane Warning and the
threat of 74-110 mph winds. The Tallahassee area is under a Tropical Storm Warning and could see 58 to 73 mph winds.

"Conditions are favorable for strengthening over the Gulf of Mexico with
warm sea surface temperatures and light shear," NHC forecasters wrote in
the 5 p.m. forecast. "Intensification is likely to be slow during the first 12-24 h, then proceed at a faster rate after the cyclone develops an
organized inner core."

The risk of life-threatening storm surge is also growing. About 4 to 7 feet
of storm surge is now forecast between the Aucilla River and Yankeetown.
The risk of life threatening storm surge is growing as Tropical Storm Debby
is born.
Rain, rain go away?

The NOAA Weather Prediction Center has elevated the risk of excessive
rainfall to a moderate level, meaning there is a 40% chance that rain will likely lead to flash flooding.

The region could see between 4 and 8 inches of rainfall spread across the
Big Bend, with higher amounts locally.
The region could see an excessive amount of rain that leads to flash
flooding.

"The latest rainfall forecast for TD4 has significant amounts of rainfall
for parts of our area. Portions of the FL Big Bend and southern GA could possibly receive greater than 15 inches of rain thru Tues PM," the National Weather Service of Tallahassee tweeted. "This forecast is highly dependent
on the track."
Emergency operations center activated at Level 1, hurricane watch issued
for six counties, state mobilizes more resources

Hurricane watches have been issued for: Coastal Taylor, Coastal Dixie,
Coastal Franklin, Coastal Wakulla, Coastal Jefferson and Levy counties, according to a recent press release from the governor's office.

"Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph with higher gusts, and slow strengthening is expected today and tonight," the press release reads. "The depression is expected to become a tropical storm tonight. A faster rate of strengthening is expected Sunday through Monday, and the system could be
near hurricane strength when it reaches the Florida Gulf Coast."

The Florida Department of Emergency Management (FDEM) has activated the
State Emergency Operations Center to a Level 1 and has deployed 170 pallets
of water, 30 pallets of shelf-stable meals, seven pallets of tarps and
3,000 sandbags.

FDEM is also mobilizing four logistical staging areas across the state for food, water, tarps, shower trailers, pumps and flood protection devices.

Midwest Foodbank, Feeding Florida, Farm Share and Meet the Need are
preparing to meet potential feeding needs, and the American Red Cross is mobilizing the Tallahassee and Jacksonville teams for shelter plans.

Tropical Storm Warning: Mainland Monroe, Coastal Collier, Coastal Lee, Coastal Charlotte, Sarasota, Manatee, Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas,
Hernando, Citrus and Sumter counties.
Tropical Storm Watch: the Florida Keys including the Dry Tortugas
(Coastal Monroe), Inland Lee, Inland Charlotte, DeSoto, Hardee, Polk, Lake, Inland Dixie, Inland Taylor, Inland Jefferson, Inland Wakulla, Inland
Franklin, Liberty, Gadsden, Leon, Madison and Lafayette counties.
Storm Surge Warning: Coastal Hernando, Citrus, Levy, Dixie and Taylor Counties.
Storm Surge Watch: Coastal Lee and Charlotte counties, including
Charlotte Harbor, and Sarasota, Manatee, Hillsborough (including Tampa
Bay), Pinellas and Pasco counties.

Wakulla County sandbag locations

The Wakulla County Sheriff's Office will have sand bags available till 5
p.m. Saturday and on Sunday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

"The projected path of the storm has continued to move westward increasing
the likelihood for our area to feel the effects of this storm," the
sheriff's office stated on Facebook.

"No matter what the strength of this storm our county is projected to
receive a large amount of rain with this storm."

Wakulla's coast could experience 1 to 3 feet of storm surge and 58 to 73
mph winds.
Move electric vehicles to higher ground, Florida's CFO says

Electric vehicles (EVs), scooters with lithium-ion batteries or golf carts
with batteries should be moved to higher ground if located in an area that could be flooded with salty-storm surge waters, said Chief Financial
Officer and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis.

The saltwater compromises those batteries and poses fire risks. If EV
companies have the capability, we are encouraging them to proactively
notify consumers of these risks, so in the event of an evacuation, those batteries don’t cause destruction that could have been avoided," Patronis
said in a press release.
Alabama water rescue, firefighters head to Tallahassee

Firefighters from several cities in Alabama are headed to Tallahassee in response to the strengthening tropical depression that is set to hit
Florida's gulf coast on Monday.

Fire departments from Vestavia Hills, Hoover, Calara and Mobile will assist with search and rescue operations.

“Vestavia Hills Fire Department always stands ready to help those in need,” said Vestavia Hills fire Chief Marvin Green, according to a WVTM13 article.
“We are proud to have the available assets — both highly-trained personnel
and specialized equipment — to quickly assist in an impactful way and work
to keep everyone as safe as possible.”
Department of Health opens special needs shelters

The Florida Department of Health has prepared for special needs shelter operations to begin in areas of anticipated landfall, according to a press release.

If you know or care for an individual with a disability or a special need,
such as a medical condition that requires assistance but not
hospitalization, pre-register with the Florida Special Needs Shelter
Registry at snr.flhealthresponse.com. You will need to log in with an
existing account or create a new account.

The registry allows local emergency management officials to provide
important information and quickly assist during an emergency.

If evacuating to a special needs shelter, DOH advises to bring the
following:

List of medications and dosage
A 30-day supply of medications
Vital medical equipment for those who may be electrically or oxygen
dependent, Backup energy sources for essential medical equipment
Any special dietary needs or food
Personal information including:
Photo ID
Insurance card
List of emergency contacts
Your primary care provider’s contact information

For information, visit FloridaDisaster.org.
FEMA Disaster Recovery Center for May tornadoes temporarily closes

FEMA’s Disaster Recovery Center at the LeRoy Collins Leon County Library
will be temporarily closed Sunday, and Monday. The center will reopen on Tuesday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Jefferson County closes schools, opens emergency evacuation center

Jefferson County Schools will close all sites Monday, according to a
Facebook post.

The Jefferson County Emergency Evacuation Shelter will open Sunday at 12
p.m.. The shelter is at the Jefferson County K-12 School, 50 David Road in Monticello.

Evacuees heading to the shelter should bring personal items such as medications, water, any special dietary food needs and bedding.
Taylor County issues voluntary evacuation order for coastal and low-lying
areas

The Taylor County Sheriff's Office issued a volunteer evacuation order for
all coastal and low lying areas Saturday afternoon.

Taylor County Elementary School located at 1600 East Green Street will also open as a shelter starting at 4 p.m.
The 2 p.m. Saturday forecast map shows a Big Bend landfall early Monday morning.

"Please bring only essential items due to limited space," the sheriff's
office wrote. "Pets are allowed but must be in a crate."

The county was hard hit in last year's Hurricane Idalia.

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