Citirus County, FL Hurricane Ian UPDATE #2, Sept. 27, 2022 am
MANDATORY EVACUATION:
The Citrus County Board of County Commissioners has issued a MANDATORY EVACUATION within Citrus County, Forida for Zone A. This zone includes all low-lying areas west of U.S. Highway 19 and some areas additional areas east of U.S. Highway 19.
VOLUNTARY EVACUATION:
In other areas of Citrus County, people are advised to voluntarily evacuate if they live in mobile homes, manufactured homes, and recreational vehicles.
LINK TO MAP OF EVACUATION ZONES:
View a map of Citrus County's EVACUATION ZONES (AND OTHER EMERGENCY INFORMAION) to determine if you are in this mandatory evacuation zone:
https://cms5.revize.com/revize/citrus/divisions/bureau%20support%20operations/EM/evacuation-zones.pdf
SHELTERS:
Public shelters should be an option of last resort. Citizens should make preparations to shelter with family or friends and exhaust all other options before utilizing a public shelter.
Shelters will be OPENING today, Tuesday, September 27, 2022 at 6:00 p.m., at the locations listed below. PLEASE NOTE THAT NOT ALL LOCATIONS ARE OPEN, ONLY THOSE LISTED BELOW:
Forest Ridge Elementary School (Special Needs)
2927 North Forest Ridge Blvd., Hernando, FL 34442
Lecanto Primary School (Pet Friendly)
3790 W Educational Path, Lecanto, FL 34461
Central Ridge Elementary School (General Population)
185 West Citrus Springs Blvd., Citrus Springs, FL 34434
Citrus High School (General Population)
600 West Highland Blvd., Inverness, FL 34452
Citrus County Detention Facility (Sexual Offenders ONLY)
2604 W Woodland Ridge Dr., Lecanto, FL 34461.
What to bring to the shelter:
• A 72-hour supply of all required medications
• All medical equipment and supplies (oxygen tanks, etc.) required for those with special needs
• Personal information (Identification with photo)
• Any special dietary needs or food (must be non-perishable)
• Extra batteries or an external power supply for electronic devices
OTHER INFORMATION:
The Citrus County Sheriff's Office Emergency Operations Center is currently at a partial activation and will be moving to a full activation tomorrow (Wednesday, Sepember 28, 2022) morning at 6:00 a.m. The possible impacts of Hurricane Ian on our county are significant. At the moment, the goal of the Citrus County Sheriff's Office Emergency Management team is to preserve life and mitigate any sort vulnerability our county may experience by disasters like Hurricane Ian.
Please continue to take this weather event seriously and take the time now to get last minute essential supplies.
SANDBAG LOCATIONS:
Full service sandbag locations remain open today (Tuesday, September 27, 2022) from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the following locations:
4508 S. Grandmarch Ave. (near Grover Cleveland Blvd.) in Homosassa, Florida
7490 W. Gulf to Lake Hwy .(across the road from Dan's Clam Stand) in Crystal River, Florida
Two self-serve sandbags sites are open at:
Bicentennial Park, 501 N. Baseball Point in Crystal River, Florida
Floral Park, 9530 S. Parkside Ave., Floral City, Florida
For more information on sandbag sites, please call (352) 527-7610.
IAN TO POTENTIALLY ARRIVE AS A CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE:
Ian's track remains unchanged, per the mos recent National Weather Services briefing. We can expect the earliest possible arrival of winds tomorrow night (Wednesday, September 28, 2022), and storm arrival soon thereafter. Ian is currently forecasted to become a Category Four Hurricane and Citrus County should see tropical storm sustained winds and the possibility of an intense storm surge and heavy rainfall.
CITIZEN INNFORMATIONS LINES (352) 249-2775
Our Citizen Information Lines (CIL) are open from 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m. today. Citizens can call (352) 249-2775 for information regarding Hurricane Ian and what they can do to prepare.
SCHOOLS:
Citrus County Schools have extended their closure and will be closed Wednesday, September 28th through Friday, September 30th. After-school programs and extra-curricular activities are cancelled during this time as well.
COUNTY GOVERNMENT OFFICES:
At this time, all county government buildings will be closed Wednesday, September 28th, through Thursday, September 29th.
This includes the Citrus County Sheriff's Office main operations building in Inverness, substations in Crystal River and Beverly Hills.
The Tax Collectors Office and the Department of Health will be closed Wednesday and Thursday, September 28 and 29, 2022.
Jury Duty for the Clerk of Courts is cancelled for tomorrow, Wednesday, September 28, 2022.
FOR THOSE WITH MEDICAL NEEDS:
Hospitals for those in medical need and are not a shelter.
Citizens who anticipate having to evacuate should call the county information line to identify which shelter near them will be open and where the special needs shelter(s) will be located.
People requiring oxygen should contact their suppliers to obtain extra cylinders as needed ahead of time. The hospital must focus on its inpatients.
Anyone who takes medications should obtain a sufficient supply from their local pharmacy ahead of time. The hospital will be unable to assist with medications except for patients.
Please ONLY use 9-1-1 in the event of an emergency.
PLEASE CONTINUE TO FOLLOW OUR UPDATES REGARDING HURRICANE IAN:
Download the CCSO app and click on the Emergency Management feature to find preparedness info, shelter locations, evacuation maps, and more at the following locations:
ANDROID DEVICES: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ocv.citruscountyflsheriff&hl=en_US&gl=US
APPLE DEVICES: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/citrus-county-sheriffs-office/id1481134574