2.5 Million Floridians in Evacuation Zones: ‘The Time to Evacuate is Now’

TALLAHASSEE (FLV) – Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that nearly 2.5 million Floridians are under some type of evacuation order ahead of Hurricane Ian.

The governor held a press conference Tuesday evening as the hurricane’s track continues to migrate south of Tampa. State officials urge people to evacuate now and cautioned that at some point in time law enforcement will not be able to answer the “cry for help” during the storm.

“There will come a point in time when local public safety officials will not be able to respond to your cry for help,” said FLDEM Director Kevin Guthrie. “Again, the time to evacuate is now.”

According to the 5 p.m. advisory, DeSantis said the hurricane is expected to hit around the Charlotte/Sarasota county border. As the storm as shifted south, the governor said resources have been shifting as well. Once the storm hits, it is expected to slow down.

“That rain is going to pile up very quickly,” DeSantis said. “This thing is the real deal. It is a major, major storm.”

Counties with some sort of evacuation order include Charlotte, Citrus, Hillsborough, Hernando, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota, Collier, Gilchrist, Glades, Highland and Taylor.

Once again, state officials are encouraging residents to pay attention to local government agencies on whether to evacuate.