Hurricane Ike bears down on Florida while Tropical Storm Hanna blows right by us
A quick glance at the NOAA website delivers good news and bad news for Floridians. The good news is that Tropical Storm Hanna is passing us by without leaving any major damage in its path. The bad news is that Hurricane Ike, a Category 3 hurricane with 120-mile-per-hour winds, is heading our way.
As of 1 p.m. today, Gov. Charlie Christ declared the entire state of Florida to be in a state of emergency. Current forecast models show the entire Florida peninsula within the five-day forecast cone. A five-day forecast is given to significant errors, but state officials are advising Floridians to gather emergency supplies, develop or review evacuation plans, and monitor weather forecasts.
Currently, hurricane-force winds extend only 35 miles from the center, but tropical storm-force winds—that is, winds less than 74 mph--extend another 105 miles out from there. Given that the state’s peninsula is only 140 miles wide at the broadest point, a storm almost 300 miles wide is a huge threat.
Up here in Tallahassee, there’s some additional good news to be had, though. The Federal Emergency Management Agency officials have determined that our area does qualify for FEMA assistance after Tropical Storm Fay dumped 27 inches of rain on us. How convenient, as Ike storms toward us, that FEMA has just opened a local office in the county’s public library.