County issues mandatory evacuation for RVs, some visitors
The Gulf County Board of County Commissioners issued a mandatory evacuation for all RVs in coastal Gulf County as well as any visitors located north of the Stump Hole on Cape San Blas.
For Gulf County residents or property owners located north of the Stump Hole on Cape San Blas, Indian Pass and low lying areas, a voluntary evacuation order has been issued.
The evacuation order was given in anticipation of Hurricane Idalia making landfall just East of the Forgotten Coast on Wednesday, giving those in the area about 24 hours to evacuate before winds and rain arrive ahead of the storm.
At this time, Idalia is forecast to become a major hurricane before making landfall.
The commissioners also unanimously voted to declare a local state of emergency in advance of the storm.
This report will be updated as information becomes available.
Meet the Editor
Wendy Weitzel, The Star’s digital editor, joined the news outlet in August 2021, as a reporter covering primarily Gulf County.
Prior to then, she interned for Oklahoma-based news wire service Gaylord News and for Oklahoma City-based online newspaper NonDoc.com during her four years at the University of Oklahoma, from which she graduated in May with degrees in online journalism and political science.
While at OU, Weitzel was selected as Carnegie-Knight News21 Investigative Fellow among 30 top journalism students from around the country. She also was senior editor managing a 12-person newsroom in coordination with Oklahoma Watch, a non-profit news organization in eastern Oklahoma.