Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, appearing on MSNBC Friday afternoon, had some praise for President Donald Trump‘s handling of hurricane preparation. Bush, who saw eight storms during one two-year period in his tenure, noted that Irma is “bigger and meaner” than anything he dealt with before.
With tropical storm-force winds less than 24 hours away, Hurricane Irma also is expected to bring storm surge of 6-12 feet to the state’s southern coasts, Gov. Rick Scott said Friday night. “Our state has never seen anything like this before,” he said. The governor spoke at an evening news briefing from the state’s Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee. “Think about that: It could cover your house,” Scott told reporters. “This storm surge will rush in; it could kill you.”
On Friday, I was chatting with the ABC 27 WTXL team about Irma, and what you should do about your mobile devices in case of a power outage. For the best experience, get a generator, and keep everything charged up 24/7.
UPDATED With Hurricane Irma aiming towards all of Florida this weekend, both the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) and the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) will be suspending public transit services this weekend. Hart is shutting down completely on Saturday and Sunday. PSTA says their last bus will go out at 5 P.M. on Saturday and tentatively will resume normal operations on Monday afternoon. HART’s shutdown includes suspending the TECO Line Streetcar System.
The National Hurricane Center has issued as storm surge watch during its 5 p.m. update on Friday. The region is currently under a hurricane watch. A hurricane warning is in effect for Jupiter Inlet southward around the Florida peninsula to Bonita Beach, Florida Keys, Lake Okeechobee and Florida Bay. A hurricane watch is in effect for north of Jupiter Inlet to the Flagler/Volusia County line and north of Bonita Beach to Anclote.
Florida’s major theme parks are planning to close as Hurricane Irma approaches the state. Officials at Walt Disney World in Orlando announced Friday afternoon that its parks will close on Saturday and remain closed through Monday.
Attorney General Pam Bondi will formally become part of President Donald Trump‘s anti-drug abuse efforts next week, her office said Friday. The appointment to the Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, which requires an executive order, won’t force Bondi to leave office. “The president always intended for the attorney general to be on the commission,” Bondi spokesman Whitney Ray said in an email. “However, (New Jersey) Gov. (Chris) Christie chose to begin the commission with only himself…
