Today, Governor Ron DeSantis was joined by Major General John D. Haas Adjutant General of Florida, Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) Executive Director Kevin Guthrie and Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue at the State Emergency Operations Center to provide updates on preparedness efforts for Hurricane Milton.
As of 11:00 a.m. ET, Hurricane Milton is located about 720 miles southwest of Tampa, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph. Milton is forecast to move near or just north of the Yucatan Peninsula today and Tuesday, then cross the eastern Gulf of Mexico and approach the west coast of Florida by Wednesday.
Governor DeSantis issued Executive Order 24-215, amending EO 24-214 and declaring a state of emergency for 51 counties.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) hurricane preparedness efforts include the following:
- Currently analyzing flooding vulnerabilities for major roadways and bridges.
- Inspecting and clearing drainage systems, monitoring flood-prone and currently saturated areas, and pre-positioning pumps as appropriate.
- Monitoring interstate traffic speeds and levels for the potential implementation of Emergency Should Use (ESU) to assist with evacuations if necessary.
- Securing high mast lighting, maintenance yards, active construction projects, rest areas/welcome centers, service plazas, and weigh stations that had returned to normal since Hurricane Helene.
- FDOT has suspended construction projects with lane closures within all counties statewide located on all interstates and Florida Turnpike facilities.
- Replenishing fuel reserves, checking generator readiness, and pre-positioning assets as appropriate.
- Completing repairs on malfunctioning vehicles and equipment in preparation for deployment.
- Initiated communication with modal partners – seaports, airports, railroads, transit, and spaceports. All partners are currently in monitoring posture.
- Staging ITS trailers, as well as drone teams and equipment are being prepped and ready to deploy as needed.
- Expanded Road Ranger Service across the impact zones.
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