DeSantis Expands State of Emergency to all Counties Due to Nicole
TALLAHASSEE (FLV) – Gov. Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 22-256 (Amending Executive Order 22-253, Emergency Management) expanding the state of emergency to all 67 Florida counties following Hurricane Nicole.
Thursday morning, Hurricane Nicole made landfall as a Category 1 Hurricane near Vero Beach, Florida.
As of 10:00am, Nicole was downgraded to a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph.
“You do have downed trees. You have power lines you have some road washouts combined winds and storm surge. We’ve seen beach erosion, especially in areas that have already seen erosion from Hurricane Ian and these are places like Brevard, Volusia, Flagler and St. John’s counties,” said DeSantis in a press conference on Thursday morning.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management is working with the National Hurricane Center to evaluate weather predictions.
DeSantis previously said 17,000 linemen were staged to immediately begin restoration efforts after Nicole’s impact, a similar level readiness seen for Hurricane Ian, when power was restored historically swiftly for the damage that was done.
300,000 customers are without power, as of 1:30 p.m. on Thursday.
600 national guardsmen have been activated and 7 urban search and rescue teams are on standby. 250 Florida Department of Transportation crews are also prepared to clear roadways and inspect bridges for damage.
Officials say timely precautions are needed to restore the impacted communities, infrastructure, and the general welfare of Florida.
