4 P.M. Tropical Storm Hermine strengthens; Bay schools to remain open Thursday

Aug. 31--PANAMA CITY -- Tropical Depression 9 has strengthened into a minimal tropical storm, the National Hurricane Center reported early Wednesday afternoon.

At 1 p.m. CDT, the center of Tropical Storm Hermine was located about 395 miles south-southwest of Apalachicola, with winds of 40 mph and moving north at 2 mph.

A tropical storm warning remains in effect for Bay, Gulf and Franklin counties.

4 p.m. update:

The Department of Environmental Protection's Florida Park Service announced the evacuation of campgrounds and closure of state parks across Central and North Florida due to imminent weather conditions including strong winds and rain. The following state park campgrounds have been closed:

Fanning Springs State Park, Fanning Springs (Levy County)

Lafayette Blue Spring State Park, Mayo (Suwannee County)

Manatee Springs State Park, Chiefland (Dixie County)

Ochlockonee River State Park, Sopchoppy (Wakulla County)

Torreya State Park, Bristol (Liberty County)

St. Andrews State Park, Panama City Beach (Bay County)

St. George Island State Park, Eastpoint (Franklin County)

T.H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, Port St. Joe (Gulf County)

The following state parks are closed until further notice:

Crystal River Archaeological State Park, Crystal River (Citrus County)

St. George Island State Park, Eastpoint (Franklin County)

2:40 p.m. update:

Superintendent Bill Husfelt has confirmed that Bay District Schools will be open on regular schedules tomorrow, Thursday, Sept. 1.

"We have been working closely with the officials at the Bay County Emergency Operations Center, National Weather Service and Channel 13 Chief Meteorologist Justin Keifer," the district announced in a news release. "We are advised that winds will not be an issue during the school day tomorrow and that the storm has slowed some. We will continue to monitor the weather and we will make a decision about Friday by midday Thursday."

In other announcements:

- The City of Callaway will supply residents with free empty sandbags (10 per household). Go to the Public Works office at 324 S. Berthe Ave. to get the bags, then go to Gore Park at the end of Berthe Avenue for sand. Be sure to bring a shovel. Direct questions to the Callaway Public Works Department at 850-871-1033

- The Bay County M. B. Miller Pier will close at noon Thursday and reopen at 6 a.m. Friday morning as a precaution concerning Tropical Storm Hermine, according to a release from the Bay County Commission office.

- Salvation Army units in the Florida Panhandle are preparing and on stand-by ready to help residents impacted by Tropical Storm Hermine. "Salvation Army canteens are stocked with water and supplies," said Major Otis Childs, administrator for The Salvation Army in Panama City.

The Salvation Army in Florida began its preparations for Hermine on Aug. 25, when it held a state wide coordination conference call. The Salvation Army also coordinates year round disaster volunteer training throughout the state.

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Below are earlier updates on storm preparedness:

12:30 p.m. update:

Vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine, who was scheduled to make an appearance locally today, canceled his visit because of the weather, according to a release from the Hillary Clinton election campaign.

A state of emergency was declared Wednesday for 42 counties in North and Central Florida as a tropical depression churned in the Gulf of Mexico. The system has the potential to reach hurricane strength before making landfall somewhere around the Big Bend this week, state officials said.

Gov. Rick Scott, who issued the emergency declaration, said Wednesday that 8,000 members of the Florida National Guard are ready to be deployed as the storm system is on track to hit the state late Thursday or early Friday.

Scott warned that the system will bring the potential of lightning, tornadoes, flooding and standing water that could heighten the risk of the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which has been found across the state.

"We're going to see a lot of rain, we're going to see five to 10 inches of rain, potentially 15 inches of rain," Scott said after receiving a storm update at the state Emergency Operations Center.

Scott also warned Floridians to take precautions before, during and after the storm, which could be the first hurricane to hit the state in more than a decade.

"We're going to see downed power lines," Scott said.

Scott's announcement came after the National Hurricane Center on Tuesday issued a hurricane watch for parts of the state's Gulf Coast, with people from northern Florida through the Carolinas advised to monitor the system.

"By declaring a state of emergency in advance of this storm, we are ensuring that state, regional and local agencies can work together to meet the needs of our communities," Scott said.

Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Bryan Koon said the storm is expected to impact a "large part of north-central Florida."

"It will become a tropical storm today," Koon said Wednesday morning. "There is still a possibility that it can even become a Cat 1 hurricane."

A Category 1 hurricane has average wind speeds between 74 and 95 mph.

As of 8 a.m. Wednesday, the system, sitting about 420 miles west-southwest of Tampa, had maximum sustained winds of 34 mph.

The National Hurricane Center said the meandering depression is expected to strengthen and accelerate north-northeastward or northeastward by Wednesday night.

The counties in Scott's order are: Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Calhoun, Citrus, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hernando, Hillsborough, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Marion, Nassau, Orange, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Seminole, St. Johns, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia and Wakulla.

The areas under the hurricane watch are between the Anclote River, near Tarpon Springs, to Indian Pass, south of Port St. Joe in Gulf County. A tropical-storm warning also remained in place from Indian Pass west to the Walton County-Bay County line.

The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) says catastrophe teams prepare for storms like this one and are ready to help policyholders in the event this storm brings damage.

Right now the storm is slated to hit Florida as a tropical storm or a weak hurricane on Thursday. Floridians are urged to take the necessary precautions to get ready for the storm. Make sure you have your agent or insurance company's contact information readily available. PCI encourages policyholders to take a home inventory of what's inside their home by simply using a smart phone to document the items. If your home or automobile is damaged, call your insurer immediately. For information on storm readiness, visit PCI's Hurricane Headquarters page.

11 a.m. update:

SOUTHPORT -- Bay County officials are not planning to activate the Emergency Operations Center at this time but are keeping a close eye on a tropical depression that is expected to swing by close to the coast mid-day on Thursday.

Gov. Rick Scott is planning to stop at the Bay Emergency Operations Center at 3 p.m. today to give a briefing on the tropical depression.

Bay County officials have been evaluating storm water infrastructure and have lowered water levels at Deer Point Lake.

Officials still expect the county to be on the drier side of the weather system.

Mark Bowen, Bay County Chief of Emergency Services, said if the forecast holds true, he expects the system to become a tropical storm when it hits Florida, with the county being on the "good side of the storm."

10:15 a.m. update:

PANAMA CITY -- Bay District Schools and Bay County Emergency Management officials are weighing whether to close schools Thursday due to impending weather from Tropical Depression 9, expected to hit just east of Bay County on Thursday and into Friday. Superintendent Bill Husfelt said he would make a decision by the end of the day Wednesday. The storm is expected to bring several inches of rain and sustained winds up to 35 mph to the region, which is currently under a Tropical Storm Warning and has been included in Gov. Rick Scott's State of Emergency declared early Wednesday morning.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott is expected at the Bay County Emergency Operations Center Wednesday afternoon for a briefing on the storm.

10 a.m. update:

Effective immediately, all developed recreation sites and the Florida National Scenic Trail on the Apalachicola National Forest will be closed due to unfavorable weather conditions as a result of Tropical Depression 9.

Camp hosts may remain on site until an evacuation order is in place. However, forest visitors will be advised to leave. The sites will reopen for operations upon completion of a post-storm assessment of the site and facilities, and identified hazards are mitigated.

Check back later today for updates as they are available.

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