As Hurricane Helene moves toward Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis is warning that the state capital could be under particular threat, and that threat could be especially existential for the government’s nerve center during the potentially catastrophic “main event” of the storm’s impact.

Heavy rainfall was forecast for the southeastern US starting Wednesday, with a life-threatening storm surge along the entire west coast of Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center.

What does it mean when the governor of a state declares a state of emergency? When it's a storm like the soon-to-be-Helene, things start moving fast.