Watch Senator Scott’s remarks from WMBB News 13 HERE

SOUTHPORT, Fla. – Today, Senator Rick Scott visited the Bay County Emergency Operations Center to receive briefings from local law enforcement and emergency management officials as Florida braces for the landfall of Hurricane Helene. Senator Scott was joined by Bay County Emergency Services Chief Matt Lindewirth, Florida State Senator Jay Trumbull, Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford and Bay County Commissioner Doug Moore. Ahead of Helene’s landfall, Senator Scott is traveling around Florida to urge families to make a plan ahead of the storm, evacuate if asked to do so, and stay safe. This week, Senator Scott has had daily calls with National Hurricane Center (NHC) Director Dr. Mike Brennan to receive the latest updates on Hurricane Helene.

On Monday, Senator Scott and Senator Marco Rubio 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 potentially impacted Florida counties. Following receipt of this letter, President Biden approved an emergency declaration for the State of Florida on Tuesday afternoon.

Senator Rick Scott said, “We have a busy hurricane season underway and folks in the Panhandle, Big Bend, and Tampa Bay know all too well – you have to stay safe and take every storm seriously. The team here in Bay County is doing everything they can to keep families safe, but every Floridian needs to do their part. We are expecting a major hurricane to make landfall tomorrow, so make a plan now and evacuate now if asked to do so. Look at the anticipated storm surge. Near the Panhandle and in the Big Bend, the NHC is expecting up to 18 feet of surge. THAT RISING WATER WILL KILL YOU. Even if you’re not currently in the cone of Hurricane Helene, stay alert. We have seen devastating, major storms, like Hurricanes Michael and Idalia, take very similar paths to what Helene is forecast to follow. In just days, these hurricanes intensified from tropical storms to major hurricanes that devastated the Panhandle and Big Bend. I’ve been talking to NHC Director Dr. Michael Brennan and have remained in constant contact with local officials and law enforcement to make sure they have all the resources they need to prepare for and respond to this storm. Families all along our Gulf Coast have to take this seriously. Stock up on supplies and stay alert to weather threats to make sure that your families and businesses are prepared for a storm. Continue to monitor the news and local officials for any evacuation instructions, alerts or warnings. Florida is resilient because we prepare for storms. I cannot stress this enough: preparedness saves lives. We can always rebuild a home, but we can’t rebuild a life.”

Senator Scott encourages all Floridians to visit his website at www.rickscott.senate.gov/hurricane-preparedness to get prepared today. See the latest on Hurricane Helene from the National Hurricane Center at nhc.noaa.gov or @NHC_Atlantic on X, formerly known as Twitter, and from the Florida Division of Emergency Management at floridadisaster.org or @FLSERT.

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