Polk County Adjusts Shelter List Ahead Of Hurricane Irma

BARTOW, FL — Polk County residents who want to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Irma’s projected arrival in Florida have places to turn. The county plans to open its shelters on Saturday, Sept. 9.

According to the county, its shelters will open at 7 a.m., including special needs shelters and one pet-friendly location. The timing of the shelter opening is based on projections about when Irma’s effects might be felt in the county. (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 adjusted its shelter list Friday morning, removing Palmetto Elementary in Davenport in favor of Horizons Elementary. The general evacuation shelters opening Saturday morning are as follows:

• Lake Region High, 1995 Thunder Road, Eagle Lake
• Tenoroc High, 4905 Saddle Creek Road, Lakeland
• Spook Hill Elementary, 321 Dr. J.A. Wiltshire Ave. E., Lake Wales
• Mulberry Middle, 500 Martin Luther King Ave., Mulberry
• Lake Marion Creek Elementary, 3055 Lake Marion Creek Road, Poinciana
• Horizons Elementary, 1700 Forest Lake Drive, Davenport
• Chain of Lakes Elementary, 7001 County Road 653, Winter Haven
• Davenport School of the Arts, 4751 N. County Road 547, Davenport
• Donald Bronson Community Center, 124 Bronson Trail, Polk City

The special needs shelters opening are:

• Polk County Health Department, 1255 Brice Blvd., Bartow
• Ridge Community High, 500 W. Orchid Drive, Davenport
• McKeel Academy, 1810 W. Parker St., Lakeland

Lake Region High School is the pet-friendly shelter opening Saturday. Pet owners must bring shot records and an airline-approved carrying case or crate. Pet food is also required.

Analysis: Irma's 'Cone Of Uncertainty' Is Massive

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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.”

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.”

Image via the National Hurricane Center