Duval Times

Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine, soon to be Hurricane Helene, is expected to make landfall in Florida as a major hurricane later this week. The storm will bring strong winds, heavy rain, severe storm surge, flooding, and hazardous seas to Florida’s impacted areas. Additionally, this inclement weather has the potential to cause isolated tornadic activity across Florida.

U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rick Scott (R-FL) sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging his immediate approval of the State of Florida’s request for a pre-landfall emergency declaration for 41 counties.

“Ensuring that the state has access to the federal resources it needs is imperative to protecting Floridians, property, and our communities. As such, we request that you promptly approve Governor DeSantis’s request for a pre-landfall emergency declaration.”

The full text of the letter is below:

Dear Mr. President:

We write in support of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s request for a pre-landfall emergency declaration for 41 of Florida’s counties due to Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine (Helene), which is expected to strengthen into a major hurricane and impact Florida in the coming days.

Currently, Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine (Helene) is expected to make landfall on Florida’s Gulf coast by Thursday afternoon. In addition to strong winds and heavy rain, this approaching storm is expected to bring severe storm surge, flooding, hazardous seas, and the potential for isolated tornadic activity across Florida. Although Florida is no stranger to hurricanes, this storm approaches as many areas of the Florida Big Bend coastline remain particularly vulnerable to tropical-related impacts due to damage caused by Hurricane Debby in August.

Ensuring that the state has access to the federal resources it needs is imperative to protecting Floridians, property, and our communities. As such, we request that you promptly approve Governor DeSantis’s request for a pre-landfall emergency declaration.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this important matter.

Sincerely,