Florida Gov. Rick Scott Declares State of Emergency as Tropical Storm Colin Approaches

Florida Governor Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency ahead of Tropical Storm Colin Imminently hitting the state. Residents throughout the Gulf Coast Region should be preparing for the storm making landfall.

Colin, has grown to become the third named storm of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season.

Colin poses a threat of 3-5 inches of rain with the possibility of 8 inches in some places.

Local officials are handing out sandbags, urging residents to shore up entrances to their homes.

Governor Scott Declares a State of Emergency in Florida in Preparation for Tropical Storm #Colin: https://t.co/d2VQQTrgXd

— Rick Scott (@FLGovScott) June 6, 2016

The NHC predicts storm surge could be 1-3 feet in the areas from Indian Pass to Tampa Bay, and 1-2 feet from Tampa Bay south to Florida Bay. Colin’s biggest effects, with forecasters saying heavy rains are likely from the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico to southern Georgia and coastal areas of the Carolinas.

“The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast,” the NHC says. “Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances.”

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