Manatee County Opens Sandbag Locations As Hurricane Irma Nears

BRADENTON, FL — As Hurricane Irma barrels across the Caribbean Sea with Florida in her potential path, Manatee County officials are hoping to give residents plenty of time to prepare. The county on Tuesday announced plans to open its sandbag locations while also urging residents to monitor “extremely dangerous” Irma closely.

"We strongly urge residents and visitors to implement their personal plans," Manatee County Emergency Management Chief Sherilyn Burris said in a Tuesday statement. "Now is the time. The storm still has a lot of forecast uncertainty, so don't wait until it's too late to make a plan." (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.)

The county’s sandbag locations will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday. The locations are as follows:

• Buffalo Creek Park – 7550 69th St. E., Palmetto
• G.T. Bray Park, 5502 33rd Ave. Dr. W., Bradenton
• Lakewood Ranch Park, 5350 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., Bradenton
• Stormwater Ops, 5511 39th St. E., Bradenton
• Rubonia Community Center, 1309 72nd St. E., Palmetto

Also See: Another Powerful Hurricane Is Taking Aim At The US

Big Earth Landscape Supply is also offering free stand at its two locations, the county announced in an email to media. Those locations are:

• 6001 15Th St. E. in Bradenton
• 1010 10th St. E. in Palmetto

As of Tuesday, the county had no plans to issue evacuation orders or open its shelters. Even so, Burris said residents should be mindful that the situation could change. Residents can monitor the county’s Facebook page for any updates.

As of Tuesday morning, forecasters said Category 5 Hurricane Irma was showing increasing chances of impacting Florida. Whether she’ll pose a major threat to the Tampa Bay area remains unknown. Even so, the National Weather Service says anticipated daily storms this week may exacerbate already soggy conditions across the region. That agency is warning residents who live along rivers and fast-moving streams to be mindful of the potential for flooding.

• See also: Hazardous Weather Outlook Issued For Tampa Bay Area

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As of 8 a.m. Sept. 5, Irma was located about 270 miles east of Antigua. She was moving west at 14 mph while packing 175 mph maximum sustained winds.

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