Latest on Isaac the Island Interloper

Manatee declares local 
state of emergency, urges residents 
to prepare disaster plans


Manatee schools closed Monday, three shelters to open Sunday at 10 a.m.

MANATEE COUNTY, FL (Aug. 25, 2012) — Manatee County Commissioners Sunday declared a state of local emergency at the Emergency Operations Center, an action that will allow the implementation of emergency plans and procedures.

The Board met today in an emergency briefing and learned from Emergency Management officials that the storm is expected to become a Category 1 hurricane and it is projected to pass 90 miles to the west of Manatee County by 2 p.m. Monday. Tropical force winds (40 mph or greater) are expected to begin at 7 p.m. Sunday and could continue through 5 a.m. Tuesday. The Board approved a voluntary evacuation for power dependent special needs clients, mobile home parks and people living in Evacuation A level or low lying areas.

“This will no doubt be a wind event for us, with a lot of rain,” said Emergency Management Chief Laurie Feagans. “We’re expecting rain of between 5 and 8 inches from Sunday to Tuesday.”

Manatee schools will be closed Monday. Manatee High School will be open as a pet-friendly shelter, Braden River High School will be open to the general public and Nolan Middle School will be open for special needs clients and pets, all at 10 a.m. Sunday.

Emergency Management officials have begun calling Special Needs patients to ask them to prepare for a possible evacuation Sunday.

Trash collection has been suspended on Monday for residents in unincorporated Manatee County.

Manatee County Public Works will allow Manatee residents to fill up to 10 sand bags per person on Sunday and Monday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the following distribution points:

• Buffalo Creek Golf Course, 8100 69th St. E., Palmetto
• G.T. Bray Recreation Center, 5502 33rd Ave. Dr. W. Bradenton
• Lakewood Ranch Park, near Lakewood Ranch High School
• 39th St. Stormwater Facility, 5511 39th St. E., Bradenton
• Rubonia Community Center, 1309 72nd St. E., Palmetto

A list of preparedness tips is available at www.mymanatee.org/hurricane

Regular updates will be posted to Manatee’s Facebook page and Twitter account, @ManateeGov. For more information, people may call (941) 748-4501 or (941) 749-3500.

 

 

At press time Friday afternoon, the latest advisory anticipates Hurricane Isaac passing about 100 to 150 miles to the West of Longboat Key sometime Monday although the storm’s intensity, forward speed, and track remain uncertain.    

Depending on storm track and intensity, Longboat Key could see flooding in low-lying areas, increased rainfall and tropical storm force winds. 

Beach erosion, similar to that experienced during Tropical Storm Debby, as well as development of dangerous rip currents are possible.  Beachgoers should exercise extreme caution when entering the Gulf.

Flooding, resulting from increased rainfall and higher than normal tides, is expected. Depending on storm surge, roadways in low-lying areas (for example the Village) may be covered with salt water. Rain bands are expected to arrive overnight Sunday or early Monday morning. Several inches of rain are possible over the next five days.

Onset of tropical storm force winds may occur Monday morning continuing through early afternoon. Isolated tornadoes are possible.  Localized power outages are possible as with any severe weather event.  Report, or check the status of power outages, at www.fpl.com.

Beginning Friday morning, sand, bags, and shovels were made available to the general public for use to protect homes and property from potential flooding. Residents will have to fill the bags themselves with no limit to the number of sand bags available for each person.  The materials are located at the Broadway public beach access on the North end of the island near the 7000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive.

Residents are advised to monitor this storm and take appropriate protective measures.

Longboat Key emergency managements staff continues coordination with Sarasota and Manatee County Emergency Operation Centers (EOCs) in preparation for Tropical Storm Isaac.  Conference calls will be taking place with the National Hurricane Center, as well as the State of Florida Department of Emergency Management.  Updated information will be provided following those briefings.

All residents and businesses are encouraged to ensure their disaster plan is in place, have a pre-determined evacuation location, and to have adequate disaster supplies on hand.

Please don’t forget to include your pets in your disaster planning.  Please note that no decisions regarding evacuations have been made by Sarasota and Manatee County Emergency Operations Centers (EOC) at press time.  If evacuations are to become necessary those decisions will be made over the weekend. Stay tuned to your local news and weather for announcements regarding local threats, evacuations or shelter information.

Updates regarding the storm and anticipated impacts, preparedness measures and any evacuation decisions will be posted to the Town’s website as well as lbknews.com.

The Town’s website, www.longboatkey.org also contains links to the National Hurricane Center, the Sarasota County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and the Manatee County EOC. There are also links regarding disaster planning, how to strengthen you home against hurricane damage, and convenient checklists to help prepare emergency supply kits.

If you are not registered as a PSN (people with special needs) and would need special assistance in the event of a hurricane evacuation, please contact Sarasota or Manatee Emergency management to register.

 

Sarasota declares state of emergency

The Sarasota County Commission Friday declared a local state of emergency due to the expected threat of Tropical Storm Isaac. The Sarasota County Emergency Operations Center remains at a Level 3 monitoring status as Isaac moves through the Caribbean on a path toward the southwest coast of Florida.

Declaring a local state of emergency is a proactive measure to allow Sarasota County to be prepared for any unforeseen expenditures due to the storm, and to use the county’s emergency operations plans. This action also provides the county the authority to coordinate the allocation of resources in protecting the community, critical infrastructure and general welfare of citizens and visitors.

Residents should continue to pay close attention to local news media for updates on the situation. Additional flooding, tornado warnings or other urgent updates can happen as Tropical Storm Isaac moves toward the southwest coast of Florida.

For information about storm preparation, contact the Sarasota County Call Center at 941-861-5000, or visit www.scgov.net and click on the All Hazards link.