Governor Rick Scott urged families in Northwest Florida to stay alert to possible flooding caused by heavy rain across the Florida Panhandle and provided the following update.
Governor Scott said, “With heavy rain impacting much of the Florida Panhandle today, families in Northwest Florida should remain alert to local weather updates regarding possible flooding and heavy rainfall. I continue to receive briefings from the Florida Division of Emergency Management (DEM) and monitor Tropical Storm Cindy as it moves toward the central Gulf Coast. Last night, I reached out to emergency management officials, law enforcement and elected officials in affected counties to make sure they have everything they need to be prepared. While Florida is not expected to see major impacts from this storm, flooding could occur and I urge all Floridians and visitors to be cautious and visit FloridaDisaster.org to get a plan and be prepared.”
Affected counties have not reported any unmet needs and every county emergency operations center (EOC) remains in monitoring status. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) and other partnering agencies are monitoring Tropical Storm Cindy and identifying resources if flooding were to occur. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) area district offices are working with local officials to assess the current situation and coordinate operations. FDOT District 3 Operations Centers have been mobilized and are deploying water pumps to assist with potential roadway flooding in western Panhandle counties. DEM remains in constant communication with all county emergency operations centers and will continue to monitor the tropical storm and any potential impacts to the state. Leon County has made sandbag operations available for residents and more information is available HERE. Families and visitors can follow @FLSert on Twitter for updates and visit http://www.floridadisaster.org to get an emergency preparedness plan.