rob: evacuation underway as hurricane michael barrels to the florida panhandle. the storm is pounding cuba. jillian: officials warn of life turning storm surge is ice 12 feet with heavy rainfall and flooding. rob: janice, landfall sometime tomorrow morning as had changed? tomorrow morning, midday, not sure exactly how quickly the storm will move to the northeast but i will tell you tomorrow morning midday in the afternoon but we will feel the impact of the storm later today. we are running out of time to make your preparations and do your evacuations if you are told to do so. the 5 am advisor, category one, 90 mile-per-hour sustained winds, 96 make a category 2 and we are anticipating rapid intensification to a major hurricane once it makes landfall across the floor to panhandle, the big bend taking the worst of the storm surge, the worst of the right-hand side of the storm. we could see a foot of rainfall, week tornadoes as the storm impacts land.
this was not necessarily expected? we were expecting landfall. this is a preliminary landfall, richard. part of the storm center passed over the mouth of the mississippi river. keep in mind, a second lawful is forecast later tonight. this will be the more impactful one of the two, we can see some thunderstorms, judging by the cloud tops there, rolling through areas of louisiana, mississippi and coastal alabama right now. the actual center of circulation is still 100 miles south of biloxi, mississippi, winds have weakened, now they re at 85 miles per hour, as the storm continues to deteriorate, we re looking at a category 1 landfall and storm impacts. don t think it s over because it is not. the track will take it well inland. we re looking at rain across parts of louisiana, alabama and the south. bonnie, thank you so much. stay with us as we watch the second landfall. we ll join you for live coverage beginning at 10:00 and time.
first response based on the storm impacts. we have been reaching out to law enforcement to make sure they have the resources to keep people safe. utility providers are actively repositioning resources around the state and neighboring states. we know how important it is to get power restored as quickly as we can. florida power and light evacuated the emergency plan. they are one of the largest providers in the state. they are working with out of state utilities and contracting companies to secure resources. they have opened 20 sites throughout the state where restoration crews and trucks are stationed. we try to make sure we are prepared. shelters. last night, i directed the closure of all public schools, state colleges, state universities and offices for normal activities effective
get you out. but you have to call now. if you are in an evacuation zon zone. we cannot save you in the middle of the storm. if you know you are going to a shelter in your county, please take only the amount of gas you need. you don t need to fill up your whole tank if you re going to state in the county. the gas a buddy act is a great resource to find open stations with fuel. all ports to remain open today and are offering great fuel and supplies. national guard. 7,000 members, all members of the national guard are now activated. every member has been activated. on law enforcement, the florida official wildlife conservation commission is providing search and rescue teams for potential deployment and has more than 200 officers standing by in the first wave of response, based on potential storm impacts. my staff and i have been reaching out to law enforcement across the state to make sure they have the resources to keep
get you out. but you have to call now. if you are in an evacuation zone. we cannot save you in the middle of the storm. if you know, if you know you re going, please take only the amount of gas you need. you don t need to fill up your whole tank if you re going to stay in the county. the gas buddy app is a great resource to find open stations with fuel. all ports still remain open today and operating to bring fuel and supplies in. national guard. 7,000 members all available members of national guard are now activated. every member has been activated in advance of the storm that we can activate. law enforcement. the fish and wildlife conservation is preparing search and rescue teams for potential deployment and has more than 200 officers standing by for the first wave of response based on potential storm impacts. my staff and i have been reaching out to law enforcement across the state to make sure