Hurricane Ian: Shelters for homeless, pets, special needs open across Central Florida
As Hurricane Ian approaches Florida, residents up and down the west coast and across Central Florida face evacuation orders.
Officials recommend staying with friends or family who live outside of an evacuation zone. Expedia has set up a special page for inexpensive lodging options at expedia.com/florida. But for those who have nowhere else to go, Lake, Osceola, Seminole and Orange counties are opening shelters.
The shelters all provide food and a small place to sleep. Capabilities vary by location.
People going to shelters should bring bedding; extra food if they have dietary restrictions; medicine; personal hygiene items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, towels and deodorant; batteries; a three- to five-day supply of clothes; insurance card; cash; and medical supplies for at least 72 hours, said Donna Walsh, health officer for the Florida Department of Health in Seminole County, at a Monday news conference.
For the duration of Florida’s statewide emergency order, pharmacies are required to refill prescriptions regardless of when the prescription was last filled, and insurers must cover it.
In addition to general shelters, the Florida Department of Health is offering shelters for people with special medical needs who need help with basic tasks or rely on medical devices that require electricity.
These shelters are equipped with generators and limited medical supplies. Shelter staff will provide only basic medical assistance and monitoring, however — complex medical care is not available, nor is one-on-one care. In Seminole County, oxygen tanks are available in case power goes out and generators fail.
“The special needs shelter should be used as a last resort so if you can make arrangements with friends, family, in a safe place where it’s not anticipated that you would expect power outages, we encourage you to do that,” said Walsh.
FDOH asks people hoping to stay in these shelters to register in advance with the Florida Special Needs Registry, at snr.flhealthresponse.com. Local emergency management officials will communicate about evacuation and sheltering options through this registry.
Special outreach efforts are also being directed toward Central Florida’s homeless population.
The Salvation Army’s shelter for women and children is at capacity and it is working with partners to direct people elsewhere. Its men’s shelter still has room and is waiving its requirement for identification, said spokesperson Natasha Player. County emergency shelters do not require identification either.
“We’re not turning anyone away,” Player said.
The Salvation Army shelter has two towers that house about 300 seniors, with windows that can withstand extreme winds, she added.
Lauraleigh Avery, Orange County emergency manager, said the county is working with homeless shelters and transporting people without housing to shelters via Lynx.
“We’re in contact with homeless services,” Avery said. “They’re on our calls every day so we are working with them to support their operations.”
For those with pets, Central Florida offers pet-friendly shelters, including some special needs shelters that are also pet-friendly. These shelters ask people to bring shot records, food, and a crate. General shelters do not allow pets other than service animals unless specifically indicated.
Orange
Orange encourages residents to call 311 to be connected to special needs shelters.
Shelter opening Wednesday at 8 a.m.
Apopka High School — 555 Martin St. Apopka, FL 32712 (pet-friendly)
Shelters opening Wednesday at 9 a.m.
Ocoee High School — 1925 Ocoee Crown Point Pkwy., Ocoee, FL 34761
Dr. Phillips High School — 6500 Turkey Lake Road, Orlando, FL 32819
Oak Ridge High School — 6000 Winegard Road, Orlando, FL 32809 (pet-friendly)
Timber Creek High School — 1001 Avalon Park Blvd. Orlando, FL 32828 (pet-friendly)
Osceola
Open shelters
The Council on Aging – 700 Generation Point, Kissimmee, FL 34744 (special needs)
Celebration High School – 1809 Celebration Blvd., Celebration, FL 34747
Kissimmee Middle School – 2410 Dyer Blvd., Kissimmee, FL 34741 (pet-friendly)
Harmony High School - 3601 Arthur J Gallagher Blvd., St. Cloud, FL 34771
Seminole
Seminole County has not announced shelter locations as of Tuesday afternoon. Residents can check Seminole County’s website, SeminoleCountyFL.gov, for updated information.
Lake
Shelters opening Tuesday at 4 p.m.
Villages Elementary – 695 Rolling Acres Road, Lady Lake (special needs, pet-friendly)
Leesburg Elementary – 2229 South St., Leesburg (special needs, pet-friendly)
Umatilla Elementary – 401 Lake St., Umatilla (special needs, pet-friendly)
Lost Lake Elementary – 1901 Johns Lake Road, Clermont (special needs, pet-friendly)
Astatula Elementary – 13925 Florida Ave., Astatula (special needs, pet-friendly)
Treadway Elementary — 10619 Treadway School Road, Leesburg (pet friendly)
Spring Creek Charter — 44440 Spring Creek Road, Paisley (pet-friendly)
Mascotte Charter — 460 Midway Ave., Mascotte (pet-friendly)
Shelters opening Tuesday 6 p.m.
Round Lake Charter – 31333 Round Lake Road, Mount Dora (pet-friendly)
Mount Dora High School – 700 N. Highland St., Mount Dora
Leesburg High School – 1401 Yellow Jacket Way, Leesburg
Shelters opening Wednesday 8 a.m.
East Ridge High School – 13322 Excalibur Road, Clermont
East Ridge Middle School – 13201 Excalibur Road, Clermont
Lost Lake Elementary School – 1901 Johns Lake Road, Clermont
Tavares High School – 603 N. New Hampshire Ave., Tavares
