Governor Declares Emergency with Michael Tracking Toward Gulf Coast
Governor Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency for Northwest Florida as Hurricane Michael takes aim at the region. The state of emergency covers 26 counties in the Panhandle, through Tallahassee and eastward. If the storm continues to move as anticipated, we can expect closures of state offices, schools and similar organizations later in the week.
Unlike some storms that methodically plod across the Atlantic for more than a week, Michael formed somewhat quickly. Locals who weren’t previously thinking about enduring a storm this year woke up Sunday morning to maps showing Tallahassee to be in the middle of the “cone.” Michael is moving relatively quickly and likely will make landfall on Wednesday. Coastal area might see tropic force winds as early as Tuesday evening.