ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The latest on storm preparations for Erika (all times local):
11:25 a.m.
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All of Florida is watching Tropical Storm Erika as the disorganized system makes its way over Hispaniola.
Dennis Feltgen of the National Hurricane Center in Miami said as of 11 a.m. Friday, the forecast shows the storm hitting the state Monday. The forecast path has Erika skirting the state's Gulf Coast and then moving up Florida's spine north of Tampa.
Feltgen says the entire state of Florida, along with parts of Georgia and South Carolina, could see heavy rain in the coming days.
There's still uncertainty in the track because Hispaniola's mountains could disrupt or break up the storm. Feltgen says it is too early to tell whether the storm will bring flooding to areas of the Tampa Bay region that experienced problems in recent weeks because of heavy rain.
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9:27 a.m.
Gov. Rick Scott is declaring a state of emergency as Tropical Storm Erika nears Florida.
The storm could hit the peninsula Monday. Scott made his declaration shortly after forecasters adjusted the trajectory of the storm to show that it's predicted to go through the middle of the state.
Scott's emergency order says Erika "poses a severe threat to the entire state."
The order calls for the activation of the National Guard and gives authorities the ability to waive tolls and rules to allow emergency crews and vehicles to move throughout the state.
A hurricane hasn't hit Florida in 10 years. The latest forecasts show that Erika will remain a tropical storm when it makes landfall.
On Friday, Erika lashed Puerto Rico with wind and rain and had killed at least four people. The storm was about 90 miles east-southeast of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republican, and was moving west at 17 mph with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph.
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