DeSantis: Category 1 Hurricane Will Make Landfall Twice in Florida, 16,000 Linemen Ready

TALLAHASSEE (FLV) – Gov. Ron DeSantis warned Floridians in Southeast Florida of potential landfall of Tropical Storm Nicole Wednesday night, evolving into a Category 1 Hurricane and making its way from Martin County.

“[Nicole] will move through the state, exit into the Gulf of Mexico, and then make landfall again somewhere in the Big Bend region in North Florida,” he said.

DeSantis warned that flooding will worsen coastal erosion caused by Hurricane Ian, which hit in late September.

Strong winds will be felt as far north as Jacksonville, and there is a strong potential for flash flooding and storm surge.

Evacuation orders have been issued for multiple east coast counties. Check with your local officials to determine your evacuation zone.

On Nov. 7, DeSantis declared a State of Emergency for 34 counties. At the time, Nicole was a subtropical storm.

The governor said Florida is in communication with utility companies. 16,000 linemen are staged to be ready to restore power. DeSantis warned Floridians to expect power outages.

“These folks are staged, and they will obviously proceed to do a restoration as rapidly as possible.”

DeSantis also activated 6,000 national guardsmen, and responders are on standby for rescue efforts.

Some school districts are closing. Check here for school closures.