Hermine gained strength as it roared toward Florida’s Gulf Coast, churning up pounding surf that battered docks and boathouses as people braced for the first direct hit on the state from a hurricane in over a decade.
The National Hurricane Center said the storm’s top sustained winds rose from 75 mph in the afternoon to 80 mph by nightfall as the former tropical storm gained new fury as it bore down on the coast.
Florida Governor Rick Scott warned of the danger of strong storm surge, high winds, downed trees and power outages, and had urged people during the day to move to inland shelters if necessary and make sure they had enough food, water and medicine.“This is a life-threatening situation,” Mr. Scott said. “It’s going to be a lot of risk. Right now, I want everybody to be safe.”
Courtney Chason, a longtime resident of Carrabelle in the Big Bend coastal area, warily watched on Thursday evening as surging waves began battering some docks and boathouses, the angry surf slowly tearing at them. Water also crashed into yards closest to the shore.“I’ve never seen it this high, it’s pretty damn crazy,” Mr. Chason said. “I hope it doesn’t get any higher; we need lots of prayers.”
