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FloridaTROPICAL STORM IDA ADVISORY: FROM GRAND ISLE, LA EASTWARD TO THE AUCILLA RIVER, FL IDA Atlantic Overview Just in: The State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) has been activated due to Tropical Storm Ida. The ESF17 Room has been staffed and can be contacted at 850-921-0144. Current situation reports and information can be obtained at the Division of Emergency Management website at http://www.floridadisaster.org/ TROPICAL STORM IDA ADVISORY NUMBER 23 NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL112009 900 AM CST MON NOV 09 2009 …IDA WEAKENS TO A TROPICAL STORM… AT 9 AM CST…1500 UTC…ALL HURRICANE WARNINGS AND WATCHES ALONG THE GULF COAST HAVE BEEN DISCONTINUED. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FROM GRAND ISLE LOUISIANA EASTWARD TO THE AUCILLA RIVER FLORIDA…INCLUDING NEW ORLEANS AND LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN 24 HOURS. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA…PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE.  IDA 5 Day Forecast AT 900 AM CST…1500 UTC…THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM IDA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 26.5 NORTH…LONGITUDE 88.3 WEST OR ABOUT 185 MILES…300 KM…SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ABOUT 285 MILES…460 KM…SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF PENSACOLA FLORIDA. IDA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST NEAR 17 MPH…28 KM/HR. A TURN TOWARD THE NORTH AND THEN TO THE NORTH-NORTHEAST IS EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS. ON THE FORECAST TRACK…THE CENTER OF IDA IS EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL ALONG THE NORTHERN GULF COAST TUESDAY MORNING. AFTER LANDFALL…A TURN TO THE EAST IS EXPECTED ON TUESDAY. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS CONTINUE TO DECREASE AND ARE NOW NEAR 70 MPH…110 KM/HR…WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME ADDITIONAL WEAKENING IS EXPECTED TODAY AS IDA APPROACHES THE COAST. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 200 MILES…325 KM FROM THE CENTER. THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 996 MB…29.41 INCHES.  IDA Tropical Storm Wind Probability RAINS FROM IDA WILL BE REACHING THE COAST OVER PORTIONS OF THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR OR SO. TOTAL STORM ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES…WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM STORM TOTALS OF 8 INCHES…ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING FROM THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN GULF COAST NORTHWARD INTO THE EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE TENNESSEE VALLEY…THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS…AND THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES. A DANGEROUS STORM TIDE WILL RAISE WATER LEVELS BY AS MUCH AS 3 TO 5 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL ALONG THE COAST NEAR AND TO THE EAST OF WHERE THE CENTER MAKES LANDFALL. NEAR THE COAST…THE SURGE WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND DESTRUCTIVE WAVES. …SUMMARY OF 900 AM CST INFORMATION… LOCATION…26.5N 88.3W MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS…70 MPH PRESENT MOVEMENT…NORTH-NORTHWEST OR 340 DEGREES AT 17 MPH MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE…996 MB AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 1200 PM CST FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 300 PM CST. $$ FORECASTER FRANKLIN Florida Governor Signs Youth Equestrian Helmet LawFlorida Governor Charlie Crist has signed a bill that mandates the use of protective helmets by young equestrians when riding on public property or roads. The law applies to children age 16 and younger who are:
Helmets must meet the current standards of the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) It does not apply to children under age 16 who are riding while:
The legislation, known as Nicole’s Law, is named after Nicole Hornstein, a 12 year-old girl from Loxahatchee who died in 2006 after falling from a horse. Nicole’s parents and two sisters attended yesterday’s bill signing ceremony at Hamlin Park in Loxahatchee. FYI now in stock TIPPERARY Equestrian Helmets at Two Time Tack & Feed (these are the best! TR) A Horse Blog – Request to Florida VeterinariansBy Dr. Thomas Holt, State Veterinarian/Director The Florida Veterinary Medical Association, The College of Veterinary Medicine, and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services are working together to establish a volunteer corps of veterinarians and veterinary technicians who will support response measures in the event of an emergency involving animals and animal health. Florida is continually threatened by natural disasters such as hurricanes and forest fires, by the introduction of foreign emerging animal diseases, and by potential acts of bioterrorism. These threats all affect animal health, public health and safety, and our state and national economies. In the aftermath of any emergency, veterinarians and veterinary technicians may be needed to assist local, state, and national response teams in meeting the needs of our animals and people. These professionals would be a part of our State Agriculture Response Team (SART), serving under Emergency Support Function (ESF) 17 and our State Emergency Response Team. Veterinary staff may serve in assessing veterinary response capabilities and provide for emergency animal treatment in the aftermath of a natural disaster or may serve in support of disease surveillance and control efforts in combating devastating diseases affecting Florida’s animals. Although this program is unable to provide salary or benefits to its volunteers, volunteers working in an official capacity would be covered under state liability and workers’ compensation programs. Florida has a very strong veterinary community and this program is intended to provide greater resources to build our animal emergency response capacity. Please consider joining the Florida Veterinary Medical Association, the University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine, and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in support of this program. Links to our brochure and a printable application are provided for your convenience. We hope that you will give serious consideration to volunteering for this program. Please print the application and after competition mail to: Joe Kight, ECO-ESF-17, Room 333, Mayo Building, Division of Animal Industry, 407 South Calhoun Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0800. AHorseBlog.com – Ancient Mammals (Equus) Shifted Diets as Climate ChangedA new University of Florida study shows mammals change their dietary niches based on climate-driven environmental changes, contradicting a common assumption that species maintain their niches despite global warming. Led by Florida Museum of Natural History vertebrate paleontologist Larisa DeSantis, researchers examined fossil teeth from mammals at two sites representing different climates in Florida: a glacial period about 1.9 million years ago and a warmer, interglacial period about 1.3 million years ago. The researchers found that interglacial warming resulted in dramatic changes to the diets of animal groups at both sites. The two sites in the study, both on Florida’s Gulf Coast, have been excavated quite extensively, DeSantis said. During glacial periods, lower sea levels nearly doubled Florida’s width, compared with interglacial periods. But because of Florida’s low latitude, no ice sheets were present during the glacial period. Despite the lack of glaciers in Florida, the two sites show dramatic ecological changes occurred between the two periods.
This fossilized horse (Equus) tooth shows where a series of enamel samples have been drilled to help identify seasonal fluctuations in the animal’s diet. This horse lived about 1.9 million years ago during a glacial period in Florida. (Credit: Mary Warrick/University of Florida) Read full story at ScienceDaily |
