CEDAR KEY, Fla. – A strengthening Debby in the Gulf of Mexico aimed to land Monday at or near Cedar Key, an island town, southwest of Gainesville, off the northwest coast of Florida.
The Cedar Key National Wildlife Refuge, a group of small islands with trails and rich birdlife, and Cedar Key Museum State Park, a nature trail with artifacts, were on its path
“This town is connected by bridges,” said Cedar Key Mayor Sue Colson.
The mayor also said the coastal town is quickly underwater during hurricanes even if it’s a Category 1, so residents know it is important to prepare.
“They are very well versed,” Colson said.
There was a high demand for gas and bottled water. Those who got a hold of plywood were using it to protect windows from the potential of flying debris. Sandbags blocked doors.
Karen Steven, an entrepreneur, decided not to take a chance, so a team emptied For Shore, her home goods store with a coastal flair steps away from the Cedar Key Fishing Pier.
“The hardest part for us is time, and so it’s a lot of equipment moving, and very heavy furniture, so it takes a lot of people to do it,” Steven said. “Unfortunately it has only been 11 months since the last one so we are a little bit shell-shocked on the speed of the timing for that.”
Related story: ‘Be ready to move’: Officials in northwestern Florida’s Gulf Coast call for evacuations
Gov. Ron DeSantis warned residents about the need to prepare for flooding and abide by the local mandatory evacuations. He deployed the National Guard.
“It is going to drop a lot of rain across many parts of the state, but certainly in the northern part of the state we already have saturation in those areas,” DeSantis said Sunday.
Tropical Storm Debby strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane on Sunday night ahead of landfall on Monday morning.
Debby is the fourth named storm of this hurricane season, which ends Nov 30.
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