State of Emergency Raised as Tropical Storm Elsa Ravages Through Florida

As Elsa churned over the Florida Keys and headed up the state's Gulf Coast Tuesday, tourist sites, schools, government offices, and airports shuttered and shelters opened in numerous Florida counties, while a state of emergency was issued in Georgia ahead of the storm's possible consequences there.

On Monday morning, Hernando County officials issued a local state of emergency. They ordered voluntary evacuations in Zone A and mobile homes and low-lying and flood-prone regions throughout the county. On Tuesday morning, a shelter was to open.

On the west side of US Highway 19, Citrus County officials have requested voluntary evacuations. WFLA said that two shelters would open by 6 p.m. Tuesday.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, two shelters were opened in Pinellas County and one in Hillsborough County, although no evacuations were required in those counties.

According to WTSP, Pinellas County bridges from Dunedin to Pass-a-Grille Beach will be closed at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The bridges will reopen at 7 a.m. on Wednesday, according to authorities.

Newcomers to the region should acquaint themselves with evacuation and flood danger zones, according to officials.

Officials in Hillsborough and Manatee counties have also declared local states of emergency.

Officials with the Florida Department of Transportation informed WFLA that if gusts reach or exceed 40 mph, the Sunshine Skyway Bridge would be temporarily closed.

Because of the strong winds predicted from Elsa, the US Coast Guard has declared port status Zulu for Tampa, St. Petersburg, Manatee, and Fort Myers. As a result, beginning Tuesday at midnight, no vessels may enter or pass these ports without the authorization of the port's commander.

Elsa is the fifth named storm in the Atlantic and the first hurricane of the season in 2021. In the Atlantic, it is the earliest E-named storm ever recorded.

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