BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Telegraph Editor
A Florida-bound storm reached Category 1 hurricane strength and was projected to reach Category 3 by the time it makes landfall on the west coast sometime between Wednesday morning and afternoon.
Idalia formed as a tropical storm over the Caribbean and strengthened as it moved northeast with much of the southern United States in its path, including north Florida, south Georgia and the Carolinas.
In addition to heavy rainfall and the potential for flooding, officials were warning of wind speeds as high as 110 mph inland and even higher on the coast. Tornadoes are also a threat.
With Idalia expected to travel across north Florida on Wednesday, school, businesses and government offices announced closures. Some began closing Tuesday afternoon. Bradford and Clay county schools will be closed Wednesday, while Union County closed schools on Wednesday and Thursday. Sports and other event schedules were also disrupted.
Emergency management opened an evacuation shelter at the Bradford Fairgrounds at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. A shelter at Keystone Heights High School opened at 3 p.m. and the shelter at Union County High School opened at 5 p.m.
Cities and counties also helped residents prepare by opening sandbag filling locations, sending alerts and informing residents to stock up on food, water, fuel, cash, medication and other supplies for two to three days following the storm.
Mobile home residents, others in structurally unsound homes and those living in low-lying areas were strongly encouraged to evacuate to a shelter or a more secure location.
According to officials, aside from flash flooding, the main threats for this storm were strong sustained winds and tornadoes, causing downed trees, downed powerlines, power outages, and widespread structure damage near the center of Hurricane Idalia.
Elsewhere, storm surge watches were in effect for parts of Florida, from Englewood to Indian Pass, and including Tampa Bay. A storm surge watch means there is a possibility of life-threatening inundation.
“If this storm hits at high tide, storm surge could and would reach 8 to 12 feet in some areas and so that would be a life-threatening storm surge,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday morning. To those being evacuated from low-lying and coastal areas, he said, “You run from the water and you hide from the wind.”
