TALLAHASSEE
About 100 members of the Florida Air and Army National Guard were activated Tuesday to begin preparations for Hurricane Irma and all 7,000 members will report for duty Friday morning, Gov. Rick Scott said.
In activating the Guard, Scott said if additional resources are needed before Friday, “then I stand ready to activate as many guard members needed to support our aggressive preparedness actions.”
“With Hurricane Irma now a category 5 storm, we must do all we can to prepare our families and communities for any potential impact from this major weather event,” Scott said in a statement. “We do not know the exact path of this storm, but weather can change in an instant and while we hope for the best, we must prepare for the worst.”
MORE: “Irma becomes strongest Atlantic hurricane outside Gulf and Caribbean ever recorded”
Scott on Monday declared a state of emergency in all of Florida’s 67 counties, which allowed for the immediate activation for the Guard in preparation for the storm.
Tuesday morning, Scott also asked President Donald Trump for a pre-landfall emergency declaration from the U.S. government to free up federal funding and resources to help with emergency protective measures in advance of Irma.
RELATED: “Hurricane Irma could interrupt Florida Legislature’s plans”
Kristen M. Clark: 850-222-3095, kclark@miamiherald.com, @ByKristenMClark
This story was originally published September 05, 2017 11:48 AM.