EASTPOINT, Fla. – Today, Senator Rick Scott visited the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office 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 Franklin County Sheriff AJ Smith, Franklin County Commissioner Ricky Jones and Franklin County Commissioner Cheryl Sanders. 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, and earlier today, Senator Scott received a briefing from Bay County. See more HERE.

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, “I just left Franklin County, and I have one message: listen to law enforcement and evacuate. We are expecting up to 12 feet of deadly storm surge here and up to 20 feet of storm surge in the Big Bend. Take this seriously. If law enforcement is advising you to get out, listen to them. The team here in Franklin 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 that will bring severe flooding, so make a plan now. Franklin County is preparing for a direct hit from Hurricane Helene, but even if you’re not currently in the cone, 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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