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https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/hurricane-idalia-florida-08-29-23/index.html
Hurricane Idalia forecast to become extremely dangerous Category 4 storm
By Aditi Sangal, Adrienne Vogt, Leinz Vales, Mike Hayes, Maureen Chowdhury, Elise Hammond, Tori B. Powell, Amir Vera, Elizabeth Wolfe and Liz Enochs, CNN
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- Catch Up
- Evacuations
- Forecast
Idalia expected to make landfall as "extremely dangerous" Category 4 hurricane
Hurricane Idalia is now expected to slam into Florida as an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 storm, according to an 11 p.m. ET advisory from the National Hurricane Center.
At the time of the advisory, Idalia was churning with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph — just shy of becoming a Category 3.
The storm is forecast to make landfall in Florida's Big Bend region early Wednesday.
Hurricane Idalia on the verge of reaching Category 3 status
From CNN’s Caitlin Kaiser
Hurricane Idalia continues to strengthen with maximum sustained winds speeds of 110 mph, according to an update from the National Hurricane Center at 10 pm EDT.
Idalia is now only 1 mph away from reaching Category 3 status, which has a minimum threshold for wind speeds of 111 mph.
The National Hurricane Center is now issuing hourly updates on Idalia as it approaches landfall Wednesday morning.
A marina owner is boarding up as he plans to ride out the storm
From CNN’s Sara Smart, John Berman and Bill Weir
The owner of a marina in Florida's gulf coast town of Steinhatchee told CNN he is choosing to stay put despite local evacuation orders.
“We’re all worried and that’s why we’re staying here -- to see if there’s anything we can do to protect what we have,” Chase Norwood, owner of Chase-N-Fish Charters at Sea Hag Marina, told CNN Tuesday night.
Norwood said the marina is his family's livelihood, leaving him determined to preserve it as much as possible.
They said they have done all they can to prepare for the incoming storm, including boarding up the marina and moving equipment to higher ground. He is hoping floodwaters and storm surge are less severe than expected.
Norwood’s sister, who is pregnant and could give birth any day now, has evacuated the area and gone to Gainesville, he said.
Last year, Norwood helped with storm damage in Fort Meyers after Hurricane Ian hit the area.
“We saw stuff we didn’t know a storm could do and it was an eye-opener,” he said.
Tornado watch is now in effect for Tampa and surrounding areas
From CNN’s Caitlin Kaiser
A tornado watch is now in effect for more than 7 million people across central and western Florida, including Tampa, until 6:00 a.m. ET Wednesday.
Rain bands from Hurricane Idalia bring the threat for wind gusts of up to 75 mph, marble-sized hail and a few tornadoes overnight as well as into the early morning hours.
Weak and short-lived tornadoes are often associated with the outer bands of landfalling tropical systems.
Evacuees in northern Florida worry for their community's future
From CNN’s Sara Smart
As parts of Florida prepare for the impact of Hurricane Idalia, more residents have stayed than have evacuated in Steinhatchee, an evacuee told CNN.
Lori Leigh Batts-Bennett has already evacuated her condo in Steinhatchee to Jacksonville, Florida and worries for those that stayed behind. Steinhatchee is about 70 miles west of Gainseville.
“Some have that mentality of ‘I’m going to stay here and take care of my own,’” Batts-Bennett told CNN. “Once people wake up they’re going to be paralyzed with what they see.”
The town does not have the infrastructure to handle these storms, Batts-Bennett explained on the brink of tears. She said she and others have started forming plans for how to help tomorrow when it’s safe, mentioning they have people with air boats on standby.
“I fear that if this is catastrophic, the people that make Steinhatchee will not be able to be in Steinhatchee because they won’t be able to rebuild,” she said.
“The landscape of Steinhatchee will be changed forever,” she added.
Some Pinellas County residents say they’re riding out the storm despite evacuation order
From CNN’s Gloria Pazmino and Ila Wilborn in Clearwater Beach
Dave Gentry, a Clearwater Beach resident, was joined by his son and a friend Tuesday evening, hours before the expected landfall of Hurricane Idalia.
“We know the storm is coming a little bit later this evening. We live about 5 miles up the street. We’re going to be here for 20, 30 minutes, watch the waves come in and as the tide comes in, off we go,” Gentry said.
Despite the warnings to evacuate, Gentry said his home is on high ground and that he believes there will be no significant damage to his immediate area.
Pinellas County has a mandatory evacuation for Zone A and all mobile home residents in effect. The county covers the coastal cities of St. Petersburg and Clearwater.
Clearwater Beach was empty in the early evening except for a few swimmers and a lone surfer, who braved the waves as the wind picked up.
It is approximately 2.5 miles long and sits along the barrier island along the Gulf. Much of the beach is lined with hotel and residential properties.
For hours on Tuesday, hotel workers lined sandbags along the edge of the beach and along the doors to hotel rooms where water could potentially enter.
Clearwater is forecast to see a storm surge between 4-7 feet.
Ryan Marc, who lives in nearby Palm Harbor said he’s prepared to ride out the storm in town.
“Safety first, we don’t want to lose any lives. Things can be replaced, we’ve all been through it at least once in our lives. It is what it is. Nature always wins,” Marc said.
The latest hurricane advisory was just released. Here are some cities and towns in Idalia's path
The National Hurricane Center has released its 8 p.m. ET hurricane advisory ahead of Hurricane Idalia's expected touchdown Wednesday in Florida before it churns through Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina and heads out over the Atlantic.
Click here for the storm tracker.
Here are some of the latest watches and warnings:
- Englewood northward to Indian Pass, including Tampa Bay is under a storm surge warning, which means that "there is a danger of life-threatening inundation, from rising moving inland from the coastline," according to the advisory.
- Dry Tortugas, Chokoloskee northward to the middle of Longboat Key, west of Indian Pass to Mexico beach and the Sebastian Inlet in Florida to Surf City North Carolina are under tropical storm warnings, which indicates that "tropical storm conditions are expected," according to the National Hurricane Center.
- Bonita Beach northward to Englewood, "the mouth" of the St. Mary's River to South Santee River in South Carolina, the Beaufort Inlet to Drum Inlet in North Carolina as well as the Neuse and Pamlico Rivers in North Carolina are under storm surge watches. That means storm surge conditions could be seen over the next 48 hours, the advisory explained.
- Portions of St. Mary's River to Edisto Beach South Carolina are under a hurricane watch, which means "hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area," the hurricane center says.
- The Lower Florida Keys west of the west end of the Seven Mile Bridge, north of Surf City North Carolina to the North Carolina and Virginia border as well as Pamlico and Abemarle Sounds are under tropical storm watches. This means tropical storm conditions could be seen within 48 hours, the advisory says.
The National Hurricane Center noted that "additional warnings will likely be required tonight or on Wednesday."
This is Idalia's forecasted path as of 8 p.m. ET.
4,000 people incarcerated in Florida have been relocated, corrections department says
Roughly, 4,000 people incarcerated in Florida were evacuated or relocated to facilities better equipped to handle the storm, according to a news release from the Florida Department of Corrections.
“Multiple satellite facilities, community work release centers and work camps were evacuated in an abundance of caution. Inmates were relocated to larger main units (parent facilities), better equipped to weather the storm,” according to the release.
The following facilities have been evacuated:
- Bradenton Bridge
- Bridges of Cocoa
- Bridges of Jacksonville
- Bridges of Lake City
- Bridges of Orlando
- Bridges of Santa Fe
- Cross City Work Camp
- Dayton Beach CRC
- Desoto Work Camp
- Ft. Pierce CRC
- Hardee Work Camp
- Hernando CI
- Jacksonville Bridges
- Kissimmee CRC
- Lancaster Work Camp
- Largo Road Prison
- Madison Work Camp
- Miami North CRC
- Opa Locka CRC
- Orlando Bridge
- Orlando CRC
- Panama City CRC
- Reality House
- Re-entry of Ocala
- Shisha House
- St. Pete CRC
- Suncoast CRC
- TTH Bartow
- TTH Dinsmore
- TTH Kissimmee
- TTH Tarpon Springs
- Tallahassee CRC
- Tomoka CRC
- Tomoka Work Camp
- Turning Point
Tampa General and other area hospitals prepare for Idalia storm surge
From CNN’s Ella Nilsen
Major hospitals in the Tampa and St. Petersburg area are preparing for a significant storm surge from Hurricane Idalia.
Tampa General Hospital – located in the Davis Islands neighborhood in a surge-prone area of the city — has gone as far as to construct a water-impermeable barrier around parts of its campus.
The more than 1,000-bed hospital is expected to be finished assembling the AquaFence barrier — which can withstand up to a 15-foot storm surge — around its vulnerable areas by the end of the day Tuesday, hospital spokesperson Karen Barrera told CNN in an email.
Tampa General will remain open for emergency care and is equipped with a central energy plant that is located 33 feet above sea level and can withstand the impact and flooding of a Category 5 hurricane, housing both electricity generators and boilers for hot water, Barrera said.
Barrera added the hospital has activated its incident command center to keep operating, and as a Level 1 trauma center, Tampa General “stands ready to meet the needs to patients throughout the state who require care after the storm has passed.”
Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, a pediatric hospital in St. Petersburg, said it isn’t currently moving any patients, having built a new building in 2010 to withstand hurricane-force winds.
Most of the hospital’s mechanical areas are on its fourth floor to protect from flooding, and the hospital is capable of having its own potable water and can power itself without being connected to the power grid, if needed, spokesperson Danielle Caci said in an email.
“We are a 259-bed hospital and the largest freestanding pediatric hospital in the area so (we) are prepared to take in patients in need of medical care,” Caci said.
BayCare, a hospital system that owns 16 acute-care hospitals in the Tampa Bay area, also said it didn't anticipate any "operational changes” other than closing some ambulatory services.
“We have ‘hardened’ our facilities to be as prepared as possible for hurricane season,” said BayCare spokesperson Lisa Razler in an email to CNN, adding the hospitals aren’t moving patients at this time “and we don’t expect that to change.”
Idalia rapidly intensifies and is "likely to become a major hurricane soon," hurricane center says
From CNN’s Caitlin Kaiser and Eric Zerkel
Hurricane Idalia has rapidly intensified over the exceptionally warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico with current maximum winds of 105 mph, according to the 8 p.m. ET update from the National Hurricane Center.
The storm is still a Category 2 hurricane but nearing the Category 3 threshold for wind speeds, which is 111 mph.
Idalia is expected to strengthen more ahead of its landfall in Florida's Big Bend region Wednesday morning.
The National Hurricane Center had warned that rapid intensification was likely in this storm — a phenomenon that is becoming more common as ocean temperatures warm. In order to meet the definition, a storm’s sustained wind speeds must increase by at least 35 mph in 24 hours or less.
The hurricane’s rapid intensification was aided by the Gulf of Mexico’s extremely warm waters. It’s just one of the ways experts say is making hurricanes more dangerous, as warmer waters allow for storms to strengthen quicker.
This is Idalia's forecasted path as of 8 p.m. ET.
Bed and breakfast manager explains why she's staying in Cedar Key despite evacuation warnings
From CNN’s Sara Smart
A manager of a bed and breakfast business in Cedar Key, Florida, said she is staying in town despite evacuation warnings.
Heather Greenwood, the manager of Cedar Key Bed & Breakfast, told CNN that while she’s concerned about the storm, she’s not going anywhere. Greenwood said she not only wanted to provide a place for news crews to stay but wanted to help others she knows are staying in town.
“I’m here and I'm available to help them as much as I can,” she said.
Greenwood said the house is at the highest point on the island and has been secured. “Being vigilant at this point is the main part,” Greenwood said.
She said she filled all of the bathtubs with water in preparation and stocked up on drinking water and food.
Power and water are being shut off for the area at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday as a precaution, according to Greenwood.
The Mayor of Cedar Keys Heath Davis earlier on Tuesday implored residents to leave ahead of Idalia.
Crystal River residents have largely followed evacuation orders, city manager says
From CNN’s Sara Smart
Residents of Crystal River, Florida, have heeded the evacuation orders ahead of Hurricane Idalia, a city official said.
City Manager Douglas Baber said the entire city is in a flood zone and officials expect anywhere from 6 to 12 feet of storm surge.
“I think they saw stuff during Ian that made them think twice about leaving their boats out,” Baber said in regard to residents who have taken official's orders and removed their boats and prepared their homes.
Baber explained that once the storm passes the next step is to “get back to normal as quickly as possible."
Crystal River, a city of about 3,500 people is in Citrus County, Florida. It's part of Big Bend, where Idalia is expected to make landfall early Wednesday.
Florida universities suspend classes due to Hurricane Idalia
From CNN’s Amy Simonson
A number of Florida university campuses are suspending operations Wednesday due to Hurricane Idalia.
The University of Central Florida, located in Orlando, said in a statement posted Tuesday that students, faculty and staff should remain indoors and off roads during inclement weather.
Normal operations are scheduled to resume Thursday.
The University of North Florida in Jacksonville has also canceled classes and has suspended operations Tuesday and Wednesday.
“While exact impacts are unknown, the National Weather Service has reported the possibility of tornadoes in Northeast Florida beginning tonight and tropical storm force winds throughout the day tomorrow,” a UNF statement said.
University of South Florida in Tampa has also closed all campuses on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Florida A&M University Tallahassee main campus, Florida State University and the University of Florida also announced closures and class cancelations on Monday.
"Turn around, don’t drown”: Tampa police chief tells residents ahead of Hurricane Idalia’s arrival
From CNN’s Amy Simonson
Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw warned residents Tuesday that storm surge and standing water continue to be a threat to the city, as the effects of Hurricane Idalia are already being felt up and down the Florida Gulf Coast.
“I was out on Bayshore today at 1:30, and it was dry — literally a half hour later there were portions of Bayshore that were already flooded. I witnessed for myself people driving in the water,” Bercaw said at a storm briefing Tuesday. “Don't be that person. Remember: Turn around, don't drown.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, who also spoke at the briefing, warned residents that although the storm will be pushed out by morning, they should be prepared for the surge that will come in the afternoon.
Castor said the King Tide will create a tidal surge that will move in around noon, and that it could continue until as late as 5 p.m. ET. King Tide is a term used to describe exceptionally higher than normal tidal cycles that typically occur during a new moon or a full moon when the moon makes its closest pass to the Earth, according to CNN meteorologist Haley Brink.
Castor told residents not to return to their homes until they know what areas have been flooded.
Pets will be allowed in hotels as people leave Florida evacuation zones, governor says
Florida residents evacuating ahead of Hurricane Idalia will be able to bring their pets with them to hotels, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday.
He said officials have been working with the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association to allow animals.
“Don’t leave your pets behind,” the governor said. “Take them with you and these hotels are going to be understanding of that.”
DeSantis said all counties also have at least one pet-friendly shelter.
“Please take care of your pets. Very, very important. They need you in this type of circumstance,” he said.
Why some Florida residents aren't evacuating, even though they've been warned to do so
From CNN’s Sara Smart and Sharif Paget
As Hurricane Idalia makes way to the Florida coast, some residents have evacuated their towns while others have not.
Janalea England lives in Steinhatchee and has been through many hurricanes as she’s lived on the coast most of her life. This time she says she isn’t evacuating.
“This one is supposed to be something we have never seen in recorded history for our area,” England told CNN on Tuesday.
Worries of not being able to get back into the town and wanting to stay with family members who are also not evacuating is what’s keeping England to stay put.
Krystal Boyle lives in Rosewood, which is seven miles inland from Cedar Key Bridge and within a county that's issued a mandatory evacuation order to residents and visitors in coastal areas.
She said she's not leaving – because she is not on the island and feels like she should be fine.
"And I have too many animals," she wrote in a Facebook message. "I'm more concerned about town and anyone who stayed," she added.
On the other hand, Lori Leigh Batts-Bennett has already evacuated the area of Steinhatchee and is staying in Jacksonville.
Batts-Bennett told CNN she spends almost every weekend in Steinhatchee and has been visiting the area since she was a child. She said she's worried about the residents who have so far refused to evacuate.
At a news conference Tuesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis urged Floridians to heed evacuation warnings. "You really got to go now," he said.
FEMA officials express concern about power outages impacting people with disabilities in Florida
From CNN’s Devon M. Sayers
Federal authorities are concerned about the more than 110,000 people in Florida who need electricity for “life-sustaining medical equipment" as Hurricane Idalia gets closer to making landfall.
State officials have been telling residents in areas that are forecasted to be impacted by the storm to be prepared to lose power.
“This is a major hurricane. This is a significant storm that has life-threatening consequences,” Matthew Payne, with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said. Payne is the FEMA Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Response Directorate.
FEMA has positioned several hundred personnel in the storm impact area including nine Urban Search and Rescue Teams, six incident management assistance teams, disaster survivor assistance and strike teams, Payne added.
Payne encouraged people in the path of the storm to follow local and state orders to evacuate.
“FEMA is acutely aware of the high volume of retirees and persons with disabilities in Florida,” said Sherman Gillums, with FEMA's Office of Disability Integration and Coordination. “There are about 1.5 million people with disabilities residing in the 41 counties covered by the emergency declaration. People with disabilities represent about 14.5% of the total population in those counties.“
Majority of residents in direct path of Idalia have heeded evacuation recommendations, DeSantis says
A majority of residents who have been warned that their areas are in the path of Hurricane Idalia have followed evacuation orders, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said.
"I think on Cedar Key the vast majority have done it," DeSantis said during a news briefing Tuesday evening. "I don't think it's 100%, but I think it was a lot."
He said that residents who have been previously impacted by hurricanes have most likely taken the warnings more seriously.
"We've been talking about the Big Bend, now, for a few days and I think people got the message. And I think, by and large, I think they have heeded the advice," he said.
"Way more have heeded than have not heeded," the governor added.
Florida Gulf Coast area hasn't seen a storm of Idalia's magnitude since 1800s, governor says
Idalia could have a historic impact on the Florida Gulf Coast area the storm is expected to hit as early as Wednesday, said Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“You really have to go back to the late 1800s to find a storm of this magnitude that will enter where this one looks like it’s going to enter tomorrow," DeSantis said Tuesday at a news conference ahead of the storm's landfall.
With powerful winds and life-threatening storm surge, the hurricane is due to hit at Category 3 strength. It is forecasted to track into Apalachee Bay in the sparsely populated Big Bend region, according to the National Hurricane Center and its Tallahassee office.
“We don’t really have a historical analog in anybody’s memory so it's likely to cause a lot of damage," DeSantis said.
He told residents to be prepared to lose power and evacuate if they are in evacuation zones. The governor also said resources are in place to help the areas hit after the storm.
Florida's Big Bend area will experience historic storm surge, emergency management director says
Kevin Guthrie, the director of Florida's division of emergency management, called for the immediate evacuation of anyone still remaining in the central Gulf Coast of Florida.
"If you have not evacuated, you need to do that right now," he said Tuesday evening at a news conference. "You need to drop what you're doing, you need to go to your room, pack up, pack your things and get to safety."
He said the Big Bend area will experience a historic flood surge, warning that Idalia is "nothing to be messing around with."
Guthrie warned of 10 to 15 feet of storm surge. The forecast is 3 feet higher than what was predicted for Hurricane Ian, he said.
"Please, heed the warnings," Guthrie said.
Bridges will close once winds hit 40 mph an hour or more, DeSantis says
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned residents in the path of Hurricane Idalia that authorities will work to close bridges once winds reach 40 mph or more.
"As the winds become stronger today and into the night, Florida Department of Transportation will be coordinating with FHP (Florida Highway Patrol) and local law enforcement to close bridges once wind speeds reach 40 miles an hour or more," DeSantis said during a news briefing Tuesday evening.
He said that once high winds begin, bridges will not be "safe to traverse" and "Florida Highway Patrol will work with local officials to make sure that people are kept safe."
DeSantis added "this is crunch time right now. We are going to be hit with a major hurricane."
Uber will provide free rides to and from evacuation centers in Florida, governor says
Uber will offer free round-trip rides to and from evacuation centers in Florida for those impacted by Hurricane Idalia, according to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Passengers can use the code "Idalia relief" in the Uber app to claim rides, the governor said at a news conference Tuesday evening. The offer has a value of up to $35, he added.
"We want to thank Uber for stepping up and helping," he said.
"You really got to go now": Florida governor urges people in Big Bend to evacuate ahead of Idalia landfall
For people living in Florida's Big Bend region, now is the time to evacuate, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday evening. Hurricane Idalia is expected to hit the area as early as Wednesday morning, the latest forecasts show.
There will be a “significant, significant impact” on the Big Bend region, especially in low-lying and coastal areas.
“If you wait much longer, by the time we get in further into tonight the weather’s going to start getting nastier and nastier," DeSantis said.
“So you really got to go now,” DeSantis said, reiterating that “now’s the time.”
He warned that first responders will not be able to reach people who stay in evacuation zones until after the storm.
Charleston prepares for significant flooding
From CNN’s Paradise Afshar
The mayor of Charleston, South Carolina, declared an emergency in preparation for Hurricane Idalia.
“That is so we can remain consistent with the state, but also be eligible for any reimbursement from FEMA if we were to sustain enough damage to qualify for that,” Mayor John Tecklenburg said during a news conference Tuesday. “We’re hoping that won’t be the case, but we’re ready just in case.”
Ben Almquist, Charleston's director of emergency management, said the city is taking precautions to manage any damages.
“It’s hard to quantify exactly what kind of water we’re going to be looking at on the streets, but we do anticipate this to be a more significant flooding event from what we typically see,” Almquist said.
Charleston officials have also set up resources for residents that include handbag distribution centers and garage availability for residents to park their cars in during the storm, Tecklenburg said.
The mayor also encouraged residents to hunker down until the storm passes.
“I do ask that everyone stay in, stay put and stay safe Wednesday night throughout the night to Thursday morning,” Tecklenburg said.
CNN’s Monique Smith contributed reporting.
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