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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Gov. Scott visits Gainesville, discusses storm

Alachua County residents should brace for heavy rain and possible tornadoes, Florida Gov. Rick Scott said during a speech in Gainesville on Wednesday.

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Under gray skies outside the Alachua County Communications and Emergency Operations Center, Scott said the county could see up to 10 inches of rain as Tropical Storm Hermine, formerly Tropical Depression Nine, travels from the Gulf of Mexico to northern Florida.

“It’s headed in this direction,” he said, adding the storm would cause flooding and downed power lines across the county.

On Wednesday morning, Scott issued a state of emergency for 42 Florida counties, including Alachua. By doing this, the Federal Emergency Management Agency can provide aid to people in those counties.

He advised residents to follow news of the storm and stock up on food, water and any medicines they may need.

The county announced Wednesday that its 311 Rumor Control phone number is now active. Residents can call the number to verify information on the storm, according to a press release.

As of press time, UF has no plans to cancel classes.

John Hines, a UF spokesman, said everything is on schedule for classes to continue.

Any decision to cancel classes would take into account Regional Transit System bus schedules and possible cancellations among other factors, he said.

Chip Skinner, an RTS spokesman, said city busses will stop running if winds surpass 35 miles per hour. As of press time, the tropical storm was producing 45-mile-per-hour winds, according to the National Weather Service.

If those winds come to Gainesville, Skinner said bus drivers will complete their last routes and deliver any remaining passengers.

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“The goal is to keep both our passengers and our employees as safe as possible,” he said.

About 75 percent of RTS riders are UF students, he said. Riders will be advised of canceled service through the TransLoc Rider app, on social media and on the RTS website.

“At that point we would assume that the university would also be closing,” Skinner said.

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Two-year-old Chloe Spaulding crouches on Wednesday afternoon, surrounded by 20 sandbags half her height. Her mother, Jessica Spaulding, filled bags to help protect her apartment from flooding Tropical Storm Hermine may cause in coming days.

UF finance freshman Sarah Abraham lives off campus and travels to campus by bus via route 125.

“I personally don’t think the classes are going to be canceled,” Abraham, 18, said.

But she said she still went to Publix to stock up on water and food.

Just off U.S. Highway 441, families shoveled sand into black bags and loaded them into their cars. If Hermine is as strong as meteorologists predict, flooding may become a problem, they said.

Chloe Spaulding, 2, held her mom’s hand Wednesday afternoon, surrounded by 20 sandbags half her height.

Her mom, 25-year-old Jessica Spaulding, filled multiple bags with sand at the designated filling area at 11855 NW U.S. Highway 441.

Jessica Spaulding said she would bring them back to their first-floor apartment near UF Health Shands Hospital. The complex has a history of flooding, she said.

Originally from Idaho, Jessica Spaulding said Hermine would be her first major storm.

Across the mound, 68-year-old Russ Walker, who lives on Turkey Creek Golf and Country Club, hauled 20 sandbags into his Ford F-150.

Walker said he and his wife Carol will line up the bags to protect their home from flooding.

After hearing Hermine may bring heavy rainfall, he said he figured it would be necessary.

“Everyone’s concerned,” he said.

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