CRESTVIEW, Fla., Oct. 26, 2020—The Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners issued a local state of emergency today in anticipation of Hurricane Zeta’s arrival midweek.

The resolution and proclamation of the board states that Zeta has the potential for causing substantial damage to public utilities, buildings, communication systems, streets and roads, drainage systems, commercial and residential buildings and areas.

“In an abundance of caution, and with portions of the county in and out of the cone of uncertainty depending on the model run, we have declared a local state of emergency to allow us to act with the speed and agility necessary to protect the greatest number of people with the most available resources,” stated a county commission Facebook post.

The resolution will remain in effect for seven days.

“Although we are not currently expecting devastating impacts here in Okaloosa County from Hurricane Zeta on its current track, circumstances can quickly change,” the Facebook post stated. “Even impacts less than ‘devastating’ can put lives and property at risk.”