00:00 be tracking Edalia, which has its sights set on the west coast of Florida. And one of the
00:05 areas set to feel those impacts is the city of Cedar Key, right as you're getting into
00:11 the Big Bend here. Joining us live from Cedar Key is Commissioner Sue Colson. Sue, good
00:16 morning. Thank you so much for joining us. We know you are very busy, so we'll hop right
00:20 to it. How are you all preparing for the storm?
00:23 Well, actually, we started the last week of May to prepare. We always have a hurricane
00:29 prep day. We inform our citizens about what we expect from them and how we can help them
00:34 be have a safe hurricane season and get through these storms. Being an island community three
00:40 miles into the Gulf, we take these things very seriously.
00:44 Yes, certainly Cedar Key, no stranger to hurricane landfalls. And Commissioner, what are your
00:50 top concerns as a city official and your top concerns as a resident as well?
00:57 Well, there's always the fact that we have storm surge. That's our number one concern
01:05 always. However, this time we're worried about wind and surge and a tide that's going to
01:12 be pretty high in the next few days by the moon cycle. So we're expecting not great conditions
01:21 for us and great conditions for this hurricane. We want everyone to remember that this one
01:28 is serious and take it seriously and make your preparations today. By tomorrow, you
01:34 should be packed up and gone, hopefully, and your place secured.
01:41 Last question for you here, Sue. I have to ask, you know, a lot of people moving towards
01:44 your part of the state here. Any advice for, let's say, newer residents of Cedar Key, people
01:50 who haven't gone through a tropical system before as we look toward this storm?
01:56 You may not have water. You may not have sewage treatment for days. You may not have a way
02:04 in and out if a bridge gets wiped out, which we saw in southeast, I mean southwest Florida
02:08 last year. Bridges can be knocked out. You won't get in, you won't get out. So the best
02:13 thing is to prepare for that by, you know, getting off the island if possible, because
02:19 you're not going to have any of those amenities and no one can come to you and help you during
02:25 the storm. So you really need to leave. If you are planning it, you need to plan it now.
02:31 So you're executing it by tomorrow night. Anything in your yard that's loose needs to
02:36 be tied down. Barbecues can become missiles. Garbage cans float away and pollute the Gulf
02:42 and run into things. So today are things that you go in your yard, look around, get everything
02:48 up, get it tied down, secure your windows, secure your doors, and do your generator safety.
02:56 If you're running a generator, please heed what the governor said. Do not do those near
03:00 the windows. Do not put them inside your homes. Do not put them in your garages. That's not
03:08 going to be helpful and it is toxic and could kill you faster than the hurricane.
03:14 All right. Sue Collins, City Commissioner of Cedar Key, Florida. Some strong words and
03:23 some very good information from the commissioner. Hopefully everybody from Cedar Key heeds her
03:28 advice. Thanks for joining us, Sue. And of course, we wish you the best.
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