The seemingly inevitable has happened for residents across Southwest Florida, as an approaching storm again brings potential of heavy winds and rain.

Roughly 11 months to the day of Hurricane Ian making landfall in the region last year, state, local, and even federal officials have declared states of emergency and are deploying preparedness messages in regard to the approaching Tropical Storm Idalia.

On Saturday, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency in 33 counties — now up to 46 — in preparation for Idalia.

“Issuing this order today ensures communities have time to prepare for the storm system which could have impacts along the Gulf Coast next week,” DeSantis said in a social media post. “Floridians should have plan and a stocked supply kit and follow (the Florida Department of Emergency Management) for updates.”

Local states of emergency by the governor include Lee and Charlotte counties. Lee County entered “state of local emergency” status this afternoon.

Messaging from the National Hurricane Center as of its 1 p.m. update on Monday stated a potential danger of life-threatening storm surge along portions of the Florida Gulf Coast, naming the Tampa Bay and Big Bend region of the state.

Predictive “cone” models show the heart of the storm to impact just north of Tampa Bay some time Wednesday morning, with northern portions of Southwest Florida just outside the bottom of the “cone.”

“Hurricane conditions are expected within portions of the Hurricane Warning area along the Florida Gulf Coast, with the potential for destructive winds where the core of Idalia moves onshore,” states key messages from the NHC. “Strong winds will also spread inland across portions of northern Florida near the track of the center of Idalia.”

On Monday, FEMA announced that federal disaster assistance has been made available to Florida to supplement “state, tribal and local response efforts due to emergency conditions resulting from Tropical Storm Idalia beginning Aug. 27, 2023, and continuing.”

President Joe Biden approved the authorization, which allows FEMA to coordinate all disaster relief efforts to alleviate hardship caused by the storm on the local population in Alachua, Bay, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor and Wakulla counties.

Lee County Commissioner Brian Hamman, from the county’s Emergency Operations Center today, said monitoring the storm is an important function, as the storm will pass off the coast of Lee County.

The EOC has shifted to a “Level 2” activation, meaning heightened monitoring and more regularly scheduled briefings with the public and other emergency operations and weather entities.

Hamman signed the local state of emergency into effect, and said it was out of “an abundance of caution. It is a necessary step to ensure that the county can receive reimbursement should any damage from the storm occur. We do this for every storm.”

Hamman said the county is planning for “indirect” impacts, but that tropical storm-force winds could do damage to still-weak structures. He said based on the current forecast, evacuation orders are not being prepared.

“We are prepared to address any of the needs the community may have,” Hamman said.

The city of Cape Coral is encouraging construction industry partners to secure all job sites and portable restrooms before the arrival of Tropical Storm Idalia.

“We urge our partners to do their part to ensure all construction sites and the City Right-of-Way are clear of debris and secure,” city officials stated in a release.

As the city tracks Tropical Storm Idalia, officials are encouraging residents to prepare their homes and gather necessary supplies as soon as possible.

“Lee County is under a tropical storm warning from soon-to-be Hurricane Idalia, so we may experience storm surge, rainfall, and windy conditions beginning tomorrow morning,” city officials stated in a release. “The City is lowering weirs today, fueling fleet vehicles, and gathering storm supplies. Cape Coral is working closely with our county partners to make decisions regarding the activation of our Emergency Operations Center.”

Follow city of Cape Coral Government on Facebook for current, up-to-date information at www.facebook.com/CityofCapeCoral and visit www.capecoral.gov for additional resources.

The city encourages residents to:

• Put up storm shutters today before conditions deteriorate tomorrow.

• Sign up for Alert Lee to receive emergency messages directly to your cell phone. Register for free at www.alertlee.com.

• Complete your hurricane kits, and include a hand crank radio. If we cannot communicate through standard methods, tune into the Beasley Media Group for important Cape Coral updates.

• Trash collection may be impacted beginning Wednesday. Due to the expected wind speeds, residents with Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday collection should not set any waste at the curb. Please ensure all garbage and totes are secure and protected from the wind.

• If we experience citywide loss of power and Wi-Fi like Ian, we will deploy sandwich boards near each fire station that say, “Visit any fire station for disaster information.” In that circumstance, flyers will be updated daily and delivered to each fire station around noon. There is no need to rush to stations. We will always keep at least one flyer so people can take a picture of it with their phone.