As tropical storm Ida moves closer to the Gulf coast, Alabama and Mississippi have declared a state of emergency.
Ida is now a weaker system, state officials through the Gulf area are worried about heavy rains and strong winds generated by the storm.
The executive order in Mississippi allows the deployment of the state’s National Guard and puts state agencies on special alert.
Already, Florida declared a state of emergency this morning and Louisiana did the same Sunday.
The potential for heavy rains and strong winds across north and central Florida prompted Gov. Charlie Crist to issue a state of emergency today even though Ida has been downgraded to a tropical storm from a hurricane.
Ida’s winds have died down to about 70 mph from about 105 mph Sunday evening.But it’s a big storm with tropical storm strength winds extending about 200 miles from its center.
The storm is expected to make landfall in the next 24 to 48 hours. Ida is about 285 miles south-southeast of Pensacola. It’s expected to take a turn to the east after hitting land.
Some individual counties such as Escambia had declared a state of emergency Sunday and schools are closed there. Louisiana Gov. Jindal had declared a state of emergency Sunday as well.
Hurricane warnings have been lifted through the Gulf coast area, but tropical storm warnings stretching from Grand Isle, La., to Aucilla River, Fla., remain in place.
The National Hurricane Center has issued a hurricane warning for the Northern Gulf coast from Pascagoula, Miss., eastward to Indian Pass, Fl. That means hurricane conditions are expected in the area within 24 hours.
A tropical storm watch was issued for the Florida coast east from Indian Pass to Aucilla River.
Flash flood watches have been issued for southeast Alabama and the western Panhandle, with forecasts of 3 to 6 inches. Rain should be getting heavier as the storm moves north across the central and eastern Gulf coast. Dangerous storm surge could raise water levels by as much as 3 to 6 feet, according to the NHC.
At 10 p.m., the center of the storm was located about 400 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River and about 457 miles south-southeast of Pensacola. The storm is moving north-northeast at nearly 14 miles per hour and is expected to pick up some speed. It
Wind speeds are about 105 mph. and hurricane force winds extend out 30 to 35 miles from the center.
With a hurricane watch for Hurricane Ida issued earlier today for parts of the Panhandle as well as the Alabama and Mississippi coasts, insurers in Florida have stopped writing new coverage.
Insurers also won’t increase or expand coverage once a tropical storm or hurricane warning has been issued for any part of the state.
They will resume writing new policies once all warnings and watches have been lifted.
Escambia County officials declared a state of emergency this evening, anouncing school closings Monday and Tuesday and opening shelters.
The county is also calling for voluntary evacuations, starting at 7 a.m. Monday, in low-lying areas such as Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key. All mobile residents also urged to evacuate.
So far the following shelters will been:
– Pensacola High School, 500 W Maxwell St, Pensacola, FL 32501
– Pet Friendly Shelter: Molino Park Elementary School, 899 Highway 97,
Molino, FL 32577-5018
– The Emergency Operations Center will activate at 7 a.m. Monday for Hurricane Ida. The Citizens’ Information Line will open then, 471-6600.