Brevard County officials urge residents to continue to preparing for severe weather
Brevard County emergency management officials are urging residents to prepare for Hurricane Ian that is anticipated to hit landfall along the Gulf Coast in the next 24 hours, potentially bringing torrential rains to an already soaked area.
“What is important for us here in Brevard is that all of the really heavy weather is going to be on that eastern side,” said John Scott, the county’s emergency management director. “We are not really talking about hurricane winds. What we are really talking about it is heavy rainfall and the potential flooding that can come from that.”
According to the National Weather Service lin Melbourne, Brevard County will begin to experience severe weather from Wednesday afternoon until Friday afternoon to evening.
Thus far, no mandatory evacuations have been ordered and the bridges will remain open throughout the storm event as of now, emergency officials said.
The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, along with emergency management personnel, told the public that it needs to finish gathering supplies to prepare for the coming severe weather.
The checklist of what to purchase can be found on the emergency management’s website.
“Run through your checklist,” Sheriff Wayne Ivey said. “Get everything done. I know a lot of the store shelves are empty now, but get any last-minute things you need.”
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Brevard County will open three storm shelters at 10 a.m. Wednesday, as Hurricane Ian approaches.
County officials say the shelters are primarily for residents who live in flood-prone or low-lying areas needing safe harbor from potentially dangerous wind and water conditions anticipated from Hurricane Ian.
Scott said residents are welcome to stay in a shelter if they feel unsafe at their homes.
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Officials are also urging people to secure outdoor items they have on their patios, porches and backyard areas.
As of now, the eye of Hurricane Ian passed over western Cuba and is undergoing rapid intensification in the Gulf of Mexico. According to information from the National Hurricane Center website, Ian will make landfall around near Tampa Bay as a major hurricane before heading northeast.
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Schools will be closed at least through Thursday.
Brevard County offices will be closed Wednesday at 2 p.m. and remain closed through Thursday. They will reopen when it is safe to do so.
Waste Management will stop its trash collections at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday
Ralph Chapoco is government and politics watchdog reporter. You can reach Chapoco at rchapoco@floridatoday.com and follow him on Twitter @rchapoco.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: No evacuations ordered for Brevard as officials warn of flooding
