Idalia made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida on Wednesday morning as a Category 3 hurricane, but it has since been downgraded to a Category 1.
The storm was originally listed as a Category 4 before multiple downgrades, but it is still considered “extremely dangerous” with winds reaching 125 mph, according to NBC News.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned of the dangerous hurricane at a Wednesday morning news conference.
“Don’t put your life at risk by doing anything dumb at this point,” he said, per AP News. “This thing’s powerful. If you’re inside, just hunker down until it gets past you.”
Due to heavy winds and downed power lines, roughly 275,000 Florida residents are experiencing power outages.
Russell Guess, a worker at Cunningham Tree Service, said the company will do what it can to help those who lost power and will “be prepared to the best of our abilities.”
“There will be trees on people’s house, trees across power lines,” he said, per AP News.
The National Weather Service office in Tallahassee implemented an extreme wind warning, which is only enacted with sustained winds above 115 mph.Â
“Treat these imminent extreme winds as if a tornado was approaching and move immediately to the safe room in your shelter,” said the office, per CNN.
At least 11 tornado warnings have been issued, and DeSantis said there may be more as the storm continues.
Power outages have also been caused by the heavy flooding, and storm surge is expected to reach as high as 16 feet in certain areas.
Police told residents to be very careful amid the surge as anything higher than 15 feet is “not survivable if you are caught in it,” according to CBS 58.
Flooding across the state could worsen due to a rare blue supermoon on Wednesday, which occurs when the moon is full and at the closest point to Earth in its orbit.
Due to the proximity and fullness of the moon, the gravitational pull will increase and make tides higher, according to WFAA.
Officials from impacted areas have warned residents to remain cautious even when the storm looks like it may have passed.
“We fear that residents will walk outside, see it’s sunny outside, and think everything’s fine. But there’s more water coming,” said Rob Herrin, spokesperson for Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, per CNN. “There’s still so many hazards after the winds and rains have cleared.”
Gov. Greg Abbott said Texas is doing everything possible to support those impacted by Idalia, adding on Tuesday that ​​the state will be “sending personnel and resources to Florida as Hurricane Idalia prepares to make landfall in Florida.”
“Texans understand the urgency of preparing hurricane disaster response and recovery efforts. Texas is swiftly deploying assets to assist our fellow Americans in Florida as they brace for this devastating storm. Our country is stronger when we come together in times of crisis — and Texas is answering the call to support the people of Florida through this hurricane,” said Abbott, according to Click 2 Houston.
Following a request from FEMA, the Texas A&M Task Force 1 sent a search and rescue team of 46 people, along with four boats and four canines, to Florida to aid in the cleanup process, per Click 2.
