Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference Tuesday to address preparations for Hurricane Idalia. Top StoriesTropical Storm Idalia strengthening as it moves into the GulfUNC-Chapel Hill faculty member killed, suspect charged with murder'State of Emergency' issued in North Carolina ahead of IdaliaGet the latest news stories of interest by clicking hereFDEM Director Kevin Guthrie, Major General John D. Haas and FDOT Secretary Jared W. Perdue attended. DeSantis said 22 counties are under an evacuation order, and tolls have been waived so that people can more easily get to higher ground. The governor said the state is coordinating with power companies. He said there are more than 25,000 linemen already in Florida as of Tuesday morning, and they anticipate a total of 30,000 to 40,000 linemen will be in Florida by the end of Tuesday. “This is a major hurricane. There is going to be a lot of debris, particularly in that Big Bend area. You are going to see a lot of power lines that are going to be down. There is going to be a lot of need for all hands to be on deck, so please accept that mutual aid,” DeSantis said. DeSantis also said that 420,000 gallons of gasoline have been staged and prepared in case there are fuel interruptions. Eight urban search and rescue teams have been activated; that’s close to 600 search and rescue personnel. According to DeSantis, they have also deployed nearly 250 Starlink internet devices, with more than 500 staged and ready to go. DeSantis urged people to evacuate if they are in areas vulnerable to storm surge. He said those in the path of the storm should expect to lose power. He pointed out during an earlier news conference that the Big Bend area has not taken a direct hit from a hurricane in a long time, "and erring on the side of caution is the right thing." He added that because of the landscape of the anticipated landfall area, there may be a large amount of tree debris. Perdue said FDOT said bridge inspectors and other crews are prepared to respond to damage from the storm and clear the roadways. He said 1,100 generators are on standby to be used in the event that major intersections lose electricity. When winds reach over 40 mph, bridges may be closed. In the event that Tallahassee is hit, DeSantis said that people will continue to run the state government work from home on Wednesday. DeSantis said he would respond to Idalia just as he responded to Ian, regardless of his campaign for president. NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Watch NOWCAST TV | Local News | National | News We Love |