Dear Friend,
Hurricane Ian is heading toward Florida after raking western Cuba – and evacuation orders have been made for the peninsula’s west coast ahead of what could be life-threatening storm surge in the Tampa and Fort Myers areas and flooding rains.
You can plug in your address at floridadisaster.org/planprepare to find out what evacuation zone you are in and be connected to your local County Emergency Management Department too. Specifically, you can find a map here.
Much of Florida and the entire Tampa Bay area remained in the forecast cone and a hurricane watch was issued for the Tampa Bay area early this morning.
National Weather Service meteorologist Derrick Weiglich said the Orlando area should prepare for a greater chance of hurricane-force wind gusts because of the storm’s latest track to the east.
We want to stress that today is your last day to get prepared for this hurricane.
Below and here is a supply check list. You also want to make sure you bring in any items outside that could blow away (that includes yard signs!) and check in with family and friends to make sure they are prepared too.
Need help identifying your local shelters? Visit this link.
Finally: The Florida Department of Health, in coordination with its county health departments and each local emergency management agency in the state, developed a registry for persons with special needs to register with their local emergency management agency to receive assistance during a disaster. The statewide registry provides first responders with valuable information to prepare for disasters or other emergencies. Click here to learn more.
We encourage you to follow your local government officials online. We’ll share updates as they are made known, too.
Yours in service,
Rep. Anna V. Eskamani