Hurricane Ian: What the Treasure Coast needs to know Tuesday as storm approaches Florida

Staff report
·5 min read
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Editor's note: Wednesday's update can be found here.

Treasure Coast under Tropical Storm warning

The National Weather Service placed the Treasure Coast under a tropical storm warning.  Also, the Treasure Coast and Okeechobee County are under a tornado watch until 5 a.m. Wednesday.

Tropical storm-force winds are 39 mph to 73 mph. Tropical storm conditions with 50 to 60 mph wind gusts and the potential for 4 to 8 inches of rain are expected to begin on the Treasure Coast by Wednesday evening, a meteorologist said.

As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, Hurricane Ian was about 330 miles south-southwest of Orlando with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph, according to the National Weather Service. The Category 3 storm is moving north at 10 mph.

More: Treasure Coast under tropial storm warning

Key messages for Hurricane Ian at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27.
Key messages for Hurricane Ian at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27.

Shelters to open in Indian River County

These Indian River County Emergency Shelters will open at 12 p.m. Wednesday:

  • Treasure Coast Elementary School (special needs shelter only): 8955 85th St.,  Sebastian

  • Liberty Magnet School (pet friendly): 6850 81st St., Vero Beach

  • Freshman Learning Center: 1507 19th Street, Vero Beach

Sand bags available

The City of Fort Pierce is offering free self-serve sandbag stations for residents at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dreamland, and Jaycee parks. Residents should bring their own bags and a shovel. Parks are open daily from dawn to dusk.

More: Martin, St. Lucie counties offer sand bags for residents to help protect against water damage

Similarly, Martin County residents can pick up some sand bags Tuesday at Halpatiokee Regional Park, 8303 SW Lost River from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. in the parking lot located immediately south of the hockey rink at the main entrance of the park. Martin County residents are allowed up to 25 sandbags per residence, and ask that you provide your name and address for documentation. County staff will be available to assist in filling bags, but residents are encouraged to bring their own shovels.

Here's how to get your sand bags in Martin County at Halpatiokee Park Sept. 27. 2022.
Here's how to get your sand bags in Martin County at Halpatiokee Park Sept. 27. 2022.

Drawbridges to be locked down

The Florida Department of Transportation in coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard, will begin locking down drawbridges Tuesday in Martin, St. Lucie and Palm Beach counties.

The bridges will be closed to marine navigation once lockdowns are complete and will remain closed for the duration of severe weather and until the drawbridges and waterways can be assessed for damages. Bridges will remain open to vehicular traffic.

Will schools be closing?

Public schools in Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties are open and operating as normal Tuesday. All are monitoring the storm for daily decisions.

Public schools and district offices in St. Lucie, Martin and Indian River counties will be closed Wednesday and Thursday.

Indian River State College will close its campuses and all operations at 5 p.m. today and remain closed Wednesday.

More: Treasure Coast schools cancel classes Wednesday, Thursday as Hurricane Ian approaches

More: IRSC closes in advance of storm 5 p.m. Tuesday

What else is closing on the Treasure Coast?

Read our closings list to keep up-to-date

Is there a wait at gas stations?

There was no rush to the pump as of Tuesday morning. Gas stations had a few cars filling up.

How are law enforcement preparations going?

Sheriff's offices in Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties may send deputies to parts of the state that are harder hit by Hurricane Ian. Read the latest on that here.

Do Treasure Coast residents need to put up hurricane shutters for Ian?

Some of your neighbors or others in your community may be bolting up the shutters. But is it necessary? Read what TCPalm learned after talking to local public safety experts and officials

What are the community conditions like?

In the Indian River Estates neighborhood east of U.S. 1 and south of Fort Pierce, water already was collecting in some of the drainage swales. Portions of the neighborhood in the past have been prone to flooding. At least two homes as of 12:20 pm Tuesday had hurricane shutters up.

There were plenty of vehicles on U.S. 1 and in several shopping plazas through Port St. Lucie around noon Tuesday. The roads were wet as a constant drizzle of rain fell.

In Port St. Lucie before 12 p.m., the parking lot of the Walmart Supercenter on South U.S. 1 at Southeast Lennard Road was largely full under gray skies and a steady, if light, rain.

Among the shoppers coming and going was Jeri Canton, 44, who said she was born in Clearwater but has lived in Port St. Lucie since she was 4.

“I was born here so we've been prepared since last week when we first started hearing about it,” she said. “You just get the extra water, the extra toilet paper, things you may need … batteries. So, we've been preparing.”

Canton said she has gone through a number of storms over the years.

“I think we'll probably get some wind and rain as usual,” she said. “I think that if anything, it might be like tropical depression-ish for us.”

Janet Goodrich, who said she just moved here from Maine, said she bought some cleaning supplies as she is moving into a new home.

“I've got chips and water and all that stuff,” Goodrich said.

Goodrich, who declined to give her age but said she is of age to retire, didn’t think the storm would be a big deal.

“My son and daughter-in-law say no, and they've been here for seven years,” she said.

Still, Goodrich said inside it appeared some items were missing from the shelves.

“There’s a lot of people that are getting prepared,” she said.

This blog will be updated throughout Tuesday.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: What to know Tuesday on Treasure Coast as Hurricane Ian eyes Florida