Florida Orders Evacuation in Counties Expected to Be Hit by Hurricane Idalia

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Mandatory evacuations have been ordered in several counties in Florida ahead of the expected landfall of Hurricane Idalia, the state’s Division of Emergency Management said on Tuesday.

"Mandatory evacuation order begins at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, August 29, 2023, and be completed by 7pm on Tuesday, August 29, 2023," the Division of Emergency management said in a statement regarding communities in Dixie County in northern Florida.

Similar evacuation orders have been issued for another 23 counties in Florida, the statement said.

"The Florida Division of Emergency Management works to ensure that Florida is prepared to respond to emergencies, recover from them, and mitigate against their impacts," the Division of Emergency Management said in a separate statement.

Multiple counties across Florida are under hurricane warning and watch, the statement added.

A map of areas likely to experience tropical-storm-force winds up to 5 days after August 28, 2023, showing Tropical Storm Idalia in the west and Hurricane Franklin in the east

© US National Hurricane Center

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Idalia would reach the Gulf Coast of Florida later on Tuesday or early tomorrow morning.

"Hurricane conditions are expected within the hurricane warning area in Florida by tonight or early Wednesday, with tropical storm conditions beginning today," the NHC said.

The hurricane is expected to pass "near or along" the coasts of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina later on Wednesday and Thursday, the NHC added.