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| Florida Gov. Rick Scott speaks to state emergency managers on speaker phone during a conference call about former Tropical Storm Erika at Collier County Sheriff's Office headquarters Saturday, while Maj. General Michael Calhoun, from left, Mayor John Sorey and Sheriff Kevin Rambosk look on. Photo by Cpl. Efrain Hernandez/CCSO |
Gov. Rick
Scott visited Collier County Sheriff’s Office Headquarters on Saturday for a
briefing on Tropical Storm Erika.
Gov. Scott joined
Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk for a conference call with state emergency
managers in the CCSO command center, along with Naples Mayor John Sorey,
Collier County Commissioner Georgia Hiller and Maj. General Michael Calhoun.
Emergency
officials said at the 11 a.m. briefing that Tropical Storm Erika had degenerated
to a trough of low pressure. Officials cautioned that while the threat from the
storm is diminished it hasn’t disappeared.
The system
is expected to bring heavy rains and squalls starting late Sunday and continuing
through Monday, raising concerns locally about potential flooding and standing water,
especially in low-lying areas of Collier County.
At a press
conference outside CCSO headquarters following the briefing, Gov. Scott said he
is keeping the state of emergency in place for Florida for remnants of Tropical
Storm Erika.
Sheriff
Rambosk urged motorists to be especially cautious and to avoid roads,
intersections and areas that traditionally flood during heavy rain storms as
well as areas where there is standing water. He cited East Naples, downtown
Naples and U.S. 41 North in North Naples as examples of low-lying areas.
Deputies will
monitor low-lying areas and request assistance as needed.
