off its Cape Canaveral lauchpad after postponing the much-anticipated mission a third time.
The Biden administration declared a public health emergency for the state on Monday and said it was working with local officials to provide support. In a grocery store in St. Petersburg, across the state on the Gulf Coast, only empty cardboard boxes remained where the store normally stocks distilled water. Toilet paper, snacks and canned soup could still be found.
The couple planned to shovel sand into bags and stack them up in front of the doors to keep water from flowing inside.Rich Reynolds and his son John,18, fill sandbags, as Hurricane Ian spun toward the state carrying high winds, torrential rains and a powerful storm surge, at Ben T. Davis Beach in Tampa, Florida, U.S., September 26, 2022. REUTERS/Shannon StapletonThe Zambitos were among many Florida residents preparing for flooding that could submerge streets and homes.
Johnston said homeowners and vacation rentals had nailed up storm shutters or boards across windows as residents stocked up enough food and water to last a week. "If there's an evacuation, I will be the one to order it," Johnston said. "We'll consider it if the storm wobbles east."