Hurricane Dorian: ‘Floridians need to be prepared,” DeSantis says

Aug. 30--TALLAHASSEE -- Florida's emergency response teams kicked into high gear Friday, as the state braced for Hurricane Dorian, which forecasters predict could slam the state as a Category 4 storm.

In a morning briefing, Gov. Ron DeSantis urged residents to take advantage of the storm's slow approach.

"Floridians need to be prepared," DeSantis said. "The bad news of the storm going slower is that that could potentially have some negative impacts once it reaches landfall, but you do have time before it reaches to prepare if you have not done so."

DeSantis said local officials will decide Friday about whether to order voluntary or mandatory evacuations. So far, 2,000 Florida National Guard members have been activated to help prepare for the storm, with 4,000 expected to be activated by Saturday.

Floridians should have seven days' worth of food, water and medicine, DeSantis said, and expect to be without power and cell phone coverage. Getting power restored after the storm is always a top priority after a hurricane, but DeSantis is also pressing cell providers to restore service quickly.

Many Panhandle residents complained of Verizon's slow restoration in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael last year, hampering the immediate recovery process.

"I've talked to (the cell phone companies) ... I've said, 'the state really believes that having a plan and being able to take action to restore any lost service as quickly as possible is really important. It helps with the recovery efforts, it helps with people whose livelihoods are at stake,'" DeSantis said. "And I think they all get that, and I think they recognize some of the problems in the past.

DeSantis sent a letter to President Trump late Thursday requesting a pre-landfall state of emergency declaration for Florida, which would free up more federal resources for the state. DeSantis said he "anticipates a positive response."

Getting fuel to gas stations and restocking grocery stores with needed supplies are also high on the priority list. DeSantis said that although long lines and empty shelves present challenges for hurricane preparation, it shows people are taking the storm seriously and getting prepared.

"There's some parts of the state where you have major lines for gas, cars are lined up; it makes it more difficult for the trucks to get in and replenish the gas supply," DeSantis said. "We have a lot of fuel in Florida, it's just we have limited capacity to bring it from the port to the gas stations because you can only have so many trucks at one time doing that."

He added that he's working with governors of neighboring states to bring in extra fuel, and police exports will help gas truck resupply stations more quickly.

grohrer@orlandosentinel.com or (850) 222-5564

___

(c)2019 The Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, Fla.)

Visit The Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, Fla.) at www.OrlandoSentinel.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.