Manatee County: 'Find Shelter Or Hunker Down'; Bridges Closing At 6 PM

BRADENTON, FL — With Manatee County officially under a hurricane warning as Irma steamrolls its way to Florida, authorities said that it is time for residents to find shelter or "hunker down" by 8 p.m. Saturday. A mandatory evacuation order was issued Friday for residents in low-lying areas and on Saturday morning, officials strongly urged other residents to voluntarily evacuate their homes. Residents are heeding warnings, with some shelters filling up ahead of Hurricane Irma's expected arrival on Sunday. Access to Manatee and Cortez bridges will be restricted onto Anna Maria Island at 6 p.m. Saturday.

"We need folks to stay calm," County Administrator Ed Hunzeker said late Saturday afternoon. "You need to find shelter or hunker down by 8 p.m. tonight. Once tropical storm-force winds begin, it could be up to 72 hours before first responders can get to you."

Five of Manatee's 25 shelters are filled to capacity, and others are filling quickly. Four local shelters have room for about 3,400 more people: Gullett, Williams, Willis and Witt elementary schools.

Residents in evacuation Level A (low-lying areas) and those who live in mobile homes are under mandatory evacuations. The voluntary evacuations affect residents who live in Level B evacuation areas.

Officials say anyone who has decided to stay at home through the storm should take these steps:

• Fill containers up to two-thirds full with tap water and freeze them.
• Designate a safe room away from windows and the exterior of a home. Remember to bring supplies and a radio into the room.
• Stay calm. Try to keep children calm and occupied during high winds.
• Do not step outside or leave your home during the storm unless there is a fire.
• Do not feed the generator into your home power. Only power items directly from a generator located outside the home.

"Evacuate now, this is the day," Sherilyn Burris, emergency management chief, said earlier on Saturday. "These next few hours are when you need to absolutely finalize where you'll be when tropical force winds arrive. Seek shelter now. Emergency responders will not be able to respond to calls when those winds arrive." Residents can check their evacuation zone on the county’s website. The county's most up-to-date shelter list can also be found online. (For more hurricane news or local news from Florida, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Bradenton Patch, and click here to find your local Florida Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

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Sheriff Rick Wells said earlier in the day that local law enforcement officers are poised to help people evacuate. Officers, however, “are unable to assist anyone when tropical storm winds reach 45 mph.”

"The main point I want to make today is that the mandatory evacuation locations are critical for us to secure. People must get out for their own safety," Wells said. "Get out now and find a safe location, I urge you to do so. The last thing you want is to be in the middle of a storm and something will happen with no one to help you."

• Also see: Hurricane Irma: Entire Tampa Bay Area Under Watch

Manatee County residents are asked to take two forms of identification with them when they evacuate to expedite a safe return to their neighborhoods after the storm passes. Wells said a valid driver’s license and a utility bill or other bill will help residents gain reentry to evacuated areas.

By 8 a.m. Saturday, Irma had downgraded to a Category 4 storm after making landfall in Cuba. Still packing maximum sustained winds of 130 mph, the storm had forced hurricane warnings to go up along much of Florida’s west coast, from the tip to Chassahowitzka in Citrus County. Storm surge warnings were also in place from Volusia and Brevard counties on the east side of the state around the peninsula to Chassahowitzka. Warnings mean that hurricane and storm surge conditions are expected within the warning area within 36 hours.

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