TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Several evacuation orders are in place along Florida's Big Bend as Debby, which strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane Sunday night, inches closer to the state's panhandle.
As of 9 p.m., mandatory evacuation orders are in place for seven counties: Alachua, Citrus, Dixie, Franklin, Levy, Wakulla and Taylor.
Voluntary evacuations are in place for nine additional counties: Clay, Gadsden, Hamilton, Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, Madison, Pasco and Union.
A hurricane warning is in place along the coast, from Apalachicola to Cedar Key.
A tropical storm warning extends 200+ miles inland up through Georgia.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said during his 3:30 p.m. Sunday update that The State Emergency Operations Center is tracking sustained winds of 65 miles per hour. The storm is expected to make landfall on Monday morning with wind speeds of 90 miles per hour.
"We are looking at really significant flooding," DeSantis said. "The message is: Make sure you are executing your plan now."
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said he has been in touch with emergency officials and local sheriffs ahead of the storm.
“We are going to get a lot of flooding. Think about where you are going and do not drive into standing water. I think that’s really important. If you can, stay away from the beach areas,” said Scott. “What scares me is we just had Idalia…the other thing that’s really bad right now is the state is already saturated. Where this going, we have had a lot of rain.”
Georgia and South Carolina are now also under State of Emergency orders ahead of the storm.
Here's what we covered from DeSantis' 7:30 a.m. press conference Sunday morning:
Heavy rain is expected throughout Florida on Sunday as Tropical Storm Debby strengthens in the Gulf of Mexico and moves towards landfall along the Big Bend early Monday as a Category 1 hurricane with winds of 85 miles an hour.
Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said Sunday morning some areas of northern Florida could see 15-20 inches of rain. Heavy rain is expected throughout the day on Sunday and Monday.
“The winds are going to subside pretty quickly once it makes landfall and then we are going to be into a catastrophic rain situation,” said Guthrie. “You should now be making your final preparations.”
Governor Ron DeSantis said the state is mobilizing resources in Florida and from out-of-state, including 12 swift water rescue teams and 17,000 lineman who can assist with expected power outages. In addition, members of the Florida National Guard are already in place and positioned in areas expected to be hardest hit.
Tropical Weather
Hurricane Debby: Storm strengthens to Category 1
“This is a storm that is potentially dangerous…serious intensification is possible,” said Gov. DeSantis. “It’s going to drop a lot of water on the state and that is going to have impacts.”
DeSantis warned that the storm’s impact will be felt far from the center and urged people across the Pan Handle to take precautions and prepare for the impacts of significant rainfall.
Throughout Florida, 61 of 67 counties are under a state of emergency. In south Florida, only Okeechobee County is under the state’s order.
A hurricane warning is in effect for the Florida Gulf coast from the Suwanee River to the Ochlockonee River. This includes the towns of Saint Marks, Monticello, Perry, Madison, and Cross City.
Other impacts include localized street flooding, rip currents and gusty winds.
The National Weather Service will issue its next update at 11 a.m.
TRACKING THE TROPICS: Hurricane Center | Hurricane Guide
