GOP Florida Sen. Rick Scott warned Sunday that Category 5 Hurricane Dorian could wind up being as deadly and disastrous as 2018’s Hurricane Michael, which wrecked the Panhandle community of Mexico Beach.
In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Scott also warned in a separate interview on “Fox News Sunday” that Floridians have to “over-prepare.”
“Category 5? The best picture to look at, remember Mexico Beach?” Scott told CNN. “Devastation along there. The issue is one, the wind, two, the rain. But the storm surge, if this thing turns due west and hits Florida, we’ll see significant storm surge.”
He also told “Fox News Sunday,” that “what worries me is that everybody is going to look at that little track right in the middle instead of this cone of uncertainty.”
“[T]hat’s my biggest concern — that people are going to think we’re off the hook,” he said. “We are not off the hook. Plus, we’re still going to get storm surge. We’re going to get lots of rain the closer it gets to Florida. We’re getting to get more rain which can cause flooding. So take it seriously. Over-prepare, don’t under-prepare.”
Scott recalled that over-preparation saved the day during Hurricane Matthew in 2016.
“We had to start evacuating, even though it stayed off the coast,” he recalled. “We had to over-prepare because if it turns, it’s too late. You can’t get that. So that’s why I tell everybody to have your water — seven days [worth] — your food, your medicine. But also, if you think there’s any chance you’re going to have to evacuate, do it now and get ahead of the game.”
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