BREAKING NEWS: UPDATE: Ida weakens to tropical storm; tracks farther west

Emerald Coast officials are preparing for the worst and declaring states of emergency in coastal counties as Tropical Storm Ida churns closer to Northwest Florida.

Okaloosa County officials declared a state of emergency today and will close public schools Tuesday as Tropical Storm Ida approaches the Gulf Coast.

See the updated list of closings here.

Ida has continued to weaken, and as of the 9 a.m. advisory from the National Weather Service, was downgraded to a tropical storm.

Dino Villani, Okaloosa County’s public safety director, said the storm still could bring heavy rainfall and strong winds and residents, especially those who live in coastal areas, should take precautions.

"You don't let your guard down," he said. "It's a real good reminder that hurricane season doesn't end until Nov. 30."

Voluntary evacuations for folks living south of U.S. Highway 98 and in other low-lying areas began this morning. If sustained winds of 45 mph occur, the Mid-Bay Bridge and Brooks Bridge would be closed, Villani said.

The strongest rain and winds likely will hit the area early Tuesday when school buses and parents would be on the road, he said.

"We're expecting the worst weather to come in at the commute time," he said. "It's early Tuesday morning that we'll be the most vulnerable."

Okaloosa County offices will close today at 2 p.m. County residents can call the Citizens Information Line at 311 within the county. Outside Okaloosa County, residents are urged to call 423-4894. Both lines are being manned by live operators.

Recorded phone calls detailing Tuesday's school closure began going out to students' homes Monday morning.

"We can't delay our start times. ... It's too complicated," said Okaloosa County Schools Superintendent Alexis Tibbetts. "We are going to close all day."

A general population and special needs shelter will open at 5 p.m. today at Davidson Middle School.

Officials in Santa Rosa and Walton counties also declared states of emergency, suggesting voluntary evacuations of coastal areas, mobile home parks and low-lying areas. After-school activities in Santa Rosa County have been cancelled today, and schools will be closed in Santa Rosa and Walton counties on Tuesday.

In Milton, an American Red Cross shelter for  the general public and those with special needs is open at the Milton Community Center at 5629 Byrom St.

In Walton County, non-emergency functions and personnel will close down at noon today and remain closed through Tuesday. The Freeport High School gymnasium will be used as a shelter if needed.

With winds down to 70 miles per hour, Ida continued on a path toward the northern Gulf Coast. The projected landfall was shifted west to the Mobile Bay area.

Though the storm continues to weaken as it travels over the Gulf of Mexico, a hurricane warning remains in effect from Pascagoula, Miss. eastward to Indian Pass, Fla.

Schools in Escambia County are closed Monday, though other area districts remain open.

As of 9 a.m. central time, Ida was located about 185 miles south of the Mississippi river. The storm is expected to continue to weaken.

All hurricane watches and warnings for the Gulf Coast were discontinued as of 9 a.m. Tropical storm warnings ahead of Ida extended more than 200 miles across several states, although residents seemed to take the late-season storm in stride. Ida is the third hurricane of this year's Atlantic season, which ends Dec. 1. The first two stayed far out to sea.

There were no immediate plans for mandatory evacuations. But authorities in some coastal area were opening shelters and encouraging people who live near the water or in mobile homes to leave.

"Even though we're telling everybody to be prepared, my gut tells me it probably won't be that bad," said Steve Arndt, director of Bay Point Marina Co. in Panama City, Fla.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency as a precaution, and the National Guard was on high alert if assistance was needed.

Earlier, heavy rain in Ida's wake triggered flooding and landslides in El Salvador that killed 124 people. One mudslide covered the town of Verapaz, about 30 miles outside the capital, San Salvador, before dawn Sunday.

The latest storm track projection from the National Hurricane Center showed Ida brushing near Louisiana and Mississippi, then making landfall near Alabama before continuing across south Alabama and Northwest Florida.

Officials were encouraging residents to prepare for potential gusts of 60 mph by removing tree limbs that could damage their homes and securing or bringing in any trash cans, grills, potted plants or patio furniture.

Residents of Pensacola Beach and nearby Perdido Key were encouraged to leave, as were people farther inland who live in mobile homes, and school was canceled in the area Monday and Tuesday. Some schools around New Orleans also canceled classes for Monday.

Nearly 1,400 Louisiana residents are still living in federally issued trailers and mobile homes after hurricanes Katrina and Rita; nearly 360 units remained in Mississippi.

"FEMA stresses that those in temporary (housing) units should not take chances," Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesman Andrew Thomas said. "Leave the unit behind and evacuate to a permanent structure that will better withstand tropical weather systems and the associated winds."

Mississippi authorities warned residents to be vigilant. Authorities were monitoring conditions to see whether any evacuations of lower-lying areas or school closures would be necessary.

"It is likely we will at least be hit with strong winds and some flooding in our coastal counties," said Jeff Rent, a spokesman for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. Officials "do not want anybody to be caught off guard."

Mississippi Emergency Management Agency Director Mike Womack said forecasts called for tides of 4-7 feet above normal and rainfall totals of 5-7 inches within 24 hours, which could mean flooding along the coasts and along rivers.

There were no mandatory evacuations in Alabama, but schools were closed in Baldwin County on the eastern side of Mobile Bay, and the county was opening a shelter.

In the Florida Panhandle, residents in Bay County and Panama City were being advised to secure boats and prepare for storm surges that could reach 2-3 feet. Heavy rain, wind and possible flooding was also expected.

"You really don't know until it gets close how you're going to be affected by it," said Brad Monroe, Bay County's deputy chief of emergency services.

Ida wasn't expected to pack the wallop seen in 2008 when hurricanes Gustav and Ike pelted the Gulf Coast back-to-back.

On Sunday, Ida's wind and rain whipped palm trees in the Mexican resort city of Cancun. Fishermen tied their boats down, though tourists seemed to regard it as a minor setback.

"It's not what we expected," said Kathleen Weisser, a nurse from Fernley, Nev. "We wanted sun. Instead we have liquid sunshine."