I understand the need for a storm advisory based on a prediction, but to place much of Florida in a formal state of emergency when it’s not even raining cheapens the phrase “state of emergency” and conditions people not to believe what they actually see.
You see, the Gulf of Mexico is a big bowl. Once the storm gets into the Gulf, it will make landfall. Waiting until the rain starts is not intelligent strategery.
Trust me when I say you have lots of attitude, and you don't have a clue about which you bloviate.
You are absolutely correct about this.
In 2005 I was living in Mississippi. The Weather Channel was at the height of it's popularity at the time and they figured out that "if it bleeds, it leads". Consequently for the prior several years there had been an endless barrage of hurricane/tropical storm "emergencies" bombarding everyone along the Gulf Coast. It seemed like every week there was another breathless storm warning forecasting doom. 99% of them turned out to be overblown nonsense and you had people evacuating several times based upon them.
A hurricane evacuation is not a trivial thing for most people, you have to secure everything at your home, take off work, find accommodations that'll accept pets if you have them, etc. After multiple instances of that over the years prior to Katrina people had grown weary of weather forecasters crying wolf and tuned them out. When Katrina started forming there were the usual warnings but people were desensitized and didn't spring into action in a way that they probably would have several years earlier, before the forecasters got trigger happy in search of ratings. As a result many people didn't pay any attention to Katrina until about 12 hrs before it hit, and it cost thousands of lives.
Declaring a state of emergency this early is irresponsible. All it does is allow the government to claim that they told us so if it turns out to be a major storm, otherwise it's just noise at this point. I'm living in Florida now, in Fort Walton Beach, and I'll be paying close attention to how it develops and ready to hitch the boat out & head out if needed. An emergency declaration right now is not helpful, that should be saved for when it really IS an emergency.
It gives people time to inventory their storm supplies and go stock up on Sunday, and gives stores enough lead time to restock what they’ve been cleaned out of by Monday/Tuesday, before it hits on Wednesday.
“but to place much of Florida in a formal state of emergency when it’s not even raining cheapens the phrase “state of emergency” and conditions people not to believe what they actually see.”
You missed the point. Florida Statute 501.160 provides for protections against price gouging under a declared state of emergency. That’s the law. DeSantis did the right thing by declaring an emergency because preps for a hurricane start a week before expected landfall. This is when generators, for instance, become sold out and unscrupulous dealers charge 3-5 times the going rates, gas stations jack prices 3 fold, but not under a declared emergency. As it is, right now, I just saw a gas station jack their prices a $1/gallon to $5.45 for diesel. Yeah, I reported them.
“but to place much of Florida in a formal state of emergency when it’s not even raining cheapens the phrase “state of emergency” and conditions people not to believe what they actually see.”
You missed the point. Florida Statute 501.160 provides for protections against price gouging under a declared state of emergency. That’s the law. DeSantis did the right thing by declaring an emergency because preps for a hurricane start a week before expected landfall. This is when generators, for instance, become sold out and unscrupulous dealers charge 3-5 times the going rates, gas stations jack prices 3 fold, but not under a declared emergency. As it is, right now, I just saw a gas station jack their prices a $1/gallon to $5.45 for diesel. Yeah, I reported them.
https://www.tropicaltidbits.com/storminfo/10L_tracks_latest.png
I take it you don’t live in Florida...
It makes it easier to organize evacuations, call up NG workers for emergency work, and do other prep work at local levels with state support to save lives and property. Think, FRiend...the emergency isn’t after the sun comes out and the clean up is all that’s left. The emergency is when their is clear and present danger to life and property or credible threat of same.
Winds are estimated to be 120 mph….maybe more. Gonna be lots of destruction.
Just common sense.
