Hurricane Ian on path to make landfall in Florida
The city of Jacksonville, Florida, is readying for the impacts of Hurricane Ian and is urging residents in certain flood zones to consider evacuating.
Coastal Duval County is under a Hurricane Watch and the city warns that hurricane-force winds are possible within the next 48 hours.
In an update on the Jacksonville Emergency Preparedness and Homeland Security websiteon Wednesday it said “It is recommended that those who live in Zones A or B and experienced flooding during previous storms consider evacuating.”
Several schools and universities have closed for the duration of the week, as well as city offices and library branches, the statement says.
On Tuesday, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry issued a State of Emergency for the city which went into effect on Wednesday at 12 p.m. ET.
The city said right now, bridges remain open, but state jurisdictions will work closely “with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Highway Patrol to monitor wind conditions at area bridges. If winds exceed specified levels, FDOT will work with law enforcement to close affected bridges.”
Jacksonville is in the northeast corner of Florida.