DeSantis Urges Floridians to Know Evacuation Zone, Warns Against Panic Buying

TALLAHASSEE (FLV) – Gov. Ron DeSantis urged Floridians to be aware of which zones they are located as local governments determine whether to call for evacuations ahead of Hurricane Ian.

“You will have counties probably throughout this morning and indeed this afternoon, identifying areas that are vulnerable for evacuation,” DeSantis said.

Floridians can visit Floridadisaster.org/planprepare to figure out whether they are in an evacuation zone. Zone A generally being the most vulnerable.

The hurricane’s diameter is about 500 miles wide and residents are expected to feel the impacts of the storm up to 36 hours before landfall.

“You will see storm surge in places like southwest Florida, even though the storm is projected to be 100, 150 miles off the coast of southwest Florida,” he explained.

The Florida Department of Transportation suspended tolls at facilities in the Tampa Bay Area.

“As we continue to monitor the path of Hurricane Ian, we may do more toll suspensions in other parts of the state,” he said.

The Florida National Guard activated 5,000 Florida guardsmen on top of 2,000 guardsmen from Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina. Five urban search and rescue teams are activated as well as the U.S. Coast Guard on standby.

While officials are urging people to prepare for the hurricane, DeSantis encourages residents not to panic buy. Retailers like Publix and Walmart are constantly resupplying.

“If you normally don’t drink a lot of water, you may not need to go and buy 20 gallons of water right now,” he explained. “So just do what you need to be prepared.”

Tens of thousands will reportedly be ready to go to put power back on.

“Even if the eye of the storm doesn’t hit your region, you’re going to have really significant winds. It’s going to knock over trees. It’s going to cause interruptions,” DeSantis said.