Ahead of Tropical Depression Nine (TD 9), Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has issued an executive order to declare a state of emergency.
The emergency order was put out on Tuesay, covering 25 counties in the Sunshine State. They are as follows:
- Baker
- Bay
- Calhoun
- Columbia
- Dixie
- Escambia
- Franklin
- Gadsden
- Gilchrist
- Gulf
- Hamilton
- Holmes
- Jackson
- Jefferson
- Lafayette
- Leon
- Liberty
- Madison
- Okaloosa
- Santa Rosa
- Suwannee
- Taylor
- Walton
- Wakulla
- Washington
“This order will allow the Florida Division of Emergency Management to stage critical preparedness resources and ensure Florida is ready to respond,” DeSantis said. “Floridians should take this time to get disaster plans in palce and ensure their hurricane supply kit is stocked.”
Forecasts indicate a tropical storm or hurricane could make landfall somewhere along the central Gulf Coast later this week.
[RELATED: TD 9 forms in the southern Gulf]
However, the storm is expected to impact areas beyond that point, potentially bringing heavy rainfall, strong winds, coastal flooding, and isolated tornadoes across North Florida.
In a release, state officials said emergency teams are already mobilizing resources to help with storm preparation and response efforts.
These resources — which include generators, fuel, tarps and sandbags — are set to be staged in Tallahassee and the Santa Rosa area to cover the storm’s rapid deployment as needed.