(WEST PALM BEACH, Florida)– The Palm Beach County Mayor, Robert Weinroth, and other county officials held a news conference Tuesday afternoon as Hurricane Ian approaches Florida’s west coast.

Mayor Weinroth and officials held the conference at the Palm Beach County Emergency Operations Center in West Palm Beach and addressed the resident’s concerns about such an extreme weather event.

“It’s important to plan, it’s important to prepare, but you shouldn’t panic,” Weinroth said, “This is something that we go through on almost an annual basis, and we’re prepared for this, and we’re built for this, so we’re able to deal with these storms as they come on us.”

The county’s Emergency Operations Center is now at a Level Two, meaning all primary, or lead, Emergency Support Functions and essential county staff are ready to respond and handle any storm-related emergencies.

The county is now under a tropical storm warning, meaning there’s an increased potential for sustained winds of at least 39 miles per hour over the next 36 hours, and is expected to see four-to-six inches of rainfall.