Gov. Scott Urges Gulf Coast Residents to Monitor the Weather and be Prepared for Hurricane Conditions

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Today, October 4th, 2017, Governor Rick Scott will again be briefed by the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) on potential storm impacts. Governor Scott and the State of Florida are continuing to actively monitor a tropical depression in the southwest Caribbean, and are urging everyone in Florida to remain vigilant. The state receives regular weather updates from the National Hurricane Center (NHC). At this time, the depression is forecast to move north – northwest into the Gulf of Mexico this weekend and has the potential to be a hurricane impacting the Florida Panhandle in the coming days.

Governor Scott said, “As we closely monitor this storm, it is so important for Florida families to remain vigilant, restock hurricane supply kits and ensure hurricane preparedness plans are in place. Based on current forecasts from the National Hurricane Center, we expect the storm to strengthen into Tropical Storm Nate today and move into the Gulf of Mexico this weekend. This storm has the potential to become a hurricane and impact the Florida Panhandle this weekend, and families must be ready. Let’s remember, we are still in the heart of hurricane season and while it’s hard to imagine experiencing another storm right now, everyone has to be prepared. We will continue to work with the National Hurricane Center to learn more as this storm develops and I encourage all Floridians to visit www.FLGetAPlan.org today to get prepared.”

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The Florida Division of Emergency Management is the state agency charged with preparing for all types of disasters in Florida. The Division is the state’s disaster liaison with federal and local agencies, and is the lead consequence management agency for the State Emergency Response Team (SERT). The Division maintains the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) in Tallahassee and the State Warning Point, the 24-hour communications and command center for response coordination. Follow the Division on social media at facebook.com/FloridaSERT or on Twitter @FLSERT.