Rick Scott urges Floridians to take Dorian seriously: 'This is about your survival'

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., urged his state's residents to evacuate if needed before Hurricane Dorian hit, noting how the storm could quickly change course and entail large storm surges as it made its way up the east coast.

"Everybody's got to take this very seriously. This is about your survival -- your life," Scott said while appearing on "Your World."

Scott, who previously served as Florida's governor, had years of experience leading the state through Hurricanes.

"You have got to take care of yourself -- get your water, get your food. You can download the FEMA app," he said referring to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

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He told Fox News host Neil Cavuto that Floridians may have a tendency to downplay the danger posed by storms since they had already survived past hurricanes.

"Here's what you don't realize in these storms -- everybody says 'oh, I've gone through a category 2, oh, I've gone through a category 3.' What you don't think about is this storm surge and the amount of rain," he said before citing the impacts of Hurricane Michael last year.

"What we saw in Michael -- up in the pan handle -- is the number of people that lost their lives because they said, 'oh, it's only a category 1 or a category 2.'" That Hurricane, Scott said, got "bigger fast" and produced a 9-ft. storm surge.

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According to the National Hurricane Center, Dorian strengthened to a category 4 storm before landfall. The group announced on Saturday that Dorian shifted its course towards Georgia and the Carolinas -- although it would likely still hit Florida in some form.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis urged residents to maintain at least a week's worth of food, water, and medicine before the storm hits the sunshine state. "It is imperative that all Floridians and their families take Hurricane Dorian seriously," said DeSantis.