Florida Construction News staff writer
Daytona Beach Shores police started evacuating structures along the coastline that have been deemed unsafe as Tropical Storm Nicole approached eastern Florida on Wednesday.
FOX 35 News footage showed a beach ocean safety building partially collapsed near the coastline.
Officials say that many buildings previously damaged by Hurricane Ian were in jeopardy of serious damage from the incoming storm.
Volusia County also issued a mandatory evacuation order on Wednesday. Nicole is expected to weaken while moving across Florida and the southeastern United States Thursday and Friday.
Governor Ron DeSantis gave an update on state preparation efforts ahead of Tropical Storm Nicole and urged Floridians to listen to local emergency management officials for updates related to their counties.
The governor issued Executive Order 22-255 on Wednesday, expanding the state of emergency to 11 additional counties including Alachua, Bradford, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hernando, Jefferson, Levy, Marion, Pinellas, Taylor, and Wakulla.
There are currently 16,000 linemen staged to respond to power outages following the storm in addition to 600 guardsmen that have been activated, and 7 Urban Search and Rescue teams on standby to deploy following the storm.
Lafayette Utilities System line crews joined the Tallahassee crews and to assist in restoration once weather conditions are safe.
Governor DeSantis also signed an executive order, expanding the number of counties under the State of Emergency to 45 counties, now including Alachua, Bradford, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hernando, Jefferson, Levy, Marion, Pinellas, Taylor, and Wakulla counties.
Preparation efforts for Tropical Storm Nicole are in addition to the ongoing recovery effort for Hurricane Ian.