Polk County Power Outages Shut Down Some Sewer Systems As Irma Nears

BARTOW, FL — With the entire Tampa Bay area squarely in Hurricane Irma’s potential path, Polk County had asked its residents who live in manufactured homes and flood-prone areas to evacuate as a precaution. Some folks may be glad they did, with power outages on Sunday afternoon causing some of the county's smaller lift stations to go offline. The county says it will cause wastewater to spill onto the ground near the lift station; wastewater should not back up into homes.

Lift stations and neighborhoods affected include:

• 64 Oakwood, Country Place
• 68 Jan Phyl Village
• 91 Queens Cove, Village at Spirit Lake
• 219 Oak Preserve

If electric companies cannot get into neighborhoods until after the storm, these lift stations will be down until power is restored. Residents in affected areas are asked to use water sparingly and avoid areas with wastewater spillage.

“We have been saying for several days that Hurricane Irma is a storm stronger than Floridians have seen since Hurricane Andrew,” Pete McNally, the county’s emergency management director, said Friday morning. “With Category 3 or 4 strength winds, and rainfall predicted to be more than 8 inches, we are encouraging residents to voluntarily evacuate to one of our shelter facilities.” (For more hurricane news or local news from Florida, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Lakeland 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 plans to open its shelters at 7 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 9. Shelters are located throughout Polk County, including several that are equipped to help those with special needs. The county also has a pet-friendly shelter.

Also See: FEMA Tells Floridians In Irma's Path To 'Get Out Now'

• Also see: Polk County Adjusts Shelter List Ahead Of Irma

By 8 a.m. Sept. 8, Irma had lost some, but not much of her punch. The beast that tore through the Caribbean, leaving at least 10 people dead in her wake, had downgraded to a strong Category 4 storm, packing maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. Irma was located about 450 miles southeast of Miami, moving west-northwest at 16 mph.

On its current path, Irma is expected to clear the northern Cuban coastline by Saturday and make its way up the center of the state in the early morning hours Monday. Forecasters say Irma’s hurricane-force winds extend out 70 miles from the center while tropical storm-force winds reach out 185 miles. Although downgraded, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center say Irma remains an “extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane.”

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At the National Weather Service’s Tampa Bay office in Ruskin, forecasters say Irma’s effects are likely to be felt in the region starting Saturday night. Tropical storm conditions are possible in the overnight hours Saturday while hurricane conditions are expected throughout the day Sunday and into Monday.

The main window of concern for Hurricane Irma impacts across west central and southwest Florida is Sunday through Monday afternoon,” service forecasters wrote in Friday morning’s local hurricane statement. Forecasters are urging residents to prepare for damaging winds, storm surge and the possibility of flooding rain.

“Moderate risk of flooding due to heavy rainfall may prompt several evacuations and rescues,” the agency wrote. Tornadoes are also a concern as Irma makes her way through. People who have been asked to evacuate should do so and “stick to prescribed evacuation routes.”

Polk County’s Flood-Prone Areas

Image via Shutterstock/Map courtesy of Polk County