JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As Hurricane Ian continues to strengthen, officials in Jacksonville gave an update on the city's preparedness efforts Monday afternoon.
Mayor Lenny Curry and emergency responders gave tips on how to keep yourself safe during the storm
"Now is the time to prepare, there is no reason to panic," said Curry. "Make sure you have your supply kit together, like tomorrow while the weather is nice. At the Emergency Operations Center in Jacksonville our teams are continuing to closely track the hurricane.... it's Mother Nature, so people need to be prepared."
Curry said at this time there are no plans to close city offices.
The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department says it has contractors and crews on standby to tackle any obstacle the storm may bring. It says there are over 2,000 employees ready to respond as well as mutual aid crews coming in from across the country.
Duval County Superintendent Diana Greene says a decision should be reached by tomorrow noon as to what the district will do for the remainder of the week.
Tuesday will be a normal school day.
At this time the largest impacts look to be in the Tampa area as the right front of the storm is expected to pass over the metro area Wednesday bringing a 5-10ft+ surge and winds over 100mph possibly.
Ahead of the storm the First Coast and all of Florida for that matter will see prolonged rainfall creating a large flood threat and gusty winds with a chance of Tornadoes