Tropical Storm Idalia live updates: schools, sandbags, shelters

Ocala Star-Banner
Updated ·3 min read

Tropical Storm Idalia preparations are underway in Marion County. As of early Monday, central and west Marion were under a hurricane watch. Forecasters expect the storm to be at Category 3 hurricane strength when it makes landfall Wednesday. Local officials are urging Marion residents to take the storm seriously.

Closings

The local court system will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Many local government operations also will close either Tuesday or Wednesday or both. Check social media or call before visiting any agency.

Rasmussen University

The Ocala campuses will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

Two new sandbag stations

Marion Oaks Community Center, 294 Marion Oaks Lane, Ocala

Wrigley Fields, 405 County Road E 316, Citra.

The remaining sites are listed elsewhere in this story.

College of Central Florida

CF will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Monday evening classes will meet as scheduled.

What to expect

According to the official Marion County bulletin: "All indicators are currently predicting that residents in the Dunnellon area will have an 82% chance of experiencing tropical storm conditions. Forecasters are expecting Hurricane Idalia to potentially reach Category 1 and possibly Category 2 by landfall. Marion County Emergency Management officials are urging residents to prepare now for an expected impact Tuesday afternoon through early Wednesday morning."

Evacuations?

According to the official bulletin: "The Marion County Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management recommends evacuation to citizens west of Interstate 75 who live in a mobile home, RV, or other substandard housing."

Local state of emergency

The Marion County Commission held an emergency meeting Monday morning and declared a local state of emergency.

Shelters

The shelter at West Port High School, 3733 SW 80th Ave., Ocala, will be for residents with special needs. It opens at 5 p.m. Monday.

The following general population shelters will open at 8 a.m. Tuesday:

Forest High School, 5000 SE Maricamp Road, Ocala

Horizon Academy, 365 Marion Oaks Drive, Ocala

Lake Weir High School, 10351 SE Maricamp Road, Ocala*

North Marion Middle School, 2085 West County Road 329, Citra

Vanguard High School, 7 NW 28th St., Ocala*

*Pet friendly shelter

Sandbags

Sandbag locations will open at noon Monday in the City of Ocala and throughout Marion County. The stations will remain open until 8 p.m. and be open again at 7 a.m. Tuesday and remain open while weather conditions allow. These are self-service stations. Bags will be provided.

Here are the locations:

+ 11924 Bostick St., Dunnellon

+ 2965 SW 67th Ave., Martel

+ 6501 SE 107th St., Belleview (Belleview Sportsplex)

+ E.D. Croskey Recreation Center, 1510 NW Fourth St., Ocala

+ Jervey Gantt Park, 2200 SE 36th Ave., Ocala

+ Tuscawilla Park, 829 NE Sanchez Ave., Ocala

Carson Storm, 12, helps his mother, Kaitlin, fill bags with sand Monday at the Belleview Sportsplex as people prepared for Tropical Storm Idalia.
Carson Storm, 12, helps his mother, Kaitlin, fill bags with sand Monday at the Belleview Sportsplex as people prepared for Tropical Storm Idalia.

Marion County Public Schools

No change for Monday. Schools will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

Citizen Information Line

The line, 352-369-7500, will open at noon Monday.

Idalia forecast: Tropical Storm Idalia expected to be 'dangerous major hurricane' before Florida landfall

Blood donations

OneBlood sent an alert Monday morning: "There is an urgent call for additional blood donations BEFORE Idalia arrives. While all blood types are needed there is an increased need for O Negative and O Positive blood, as well as platelet donations."

“Hurricanes and tropical systems often disrupt blood collections for several days. The most critical time for blood donations is prior to any storm or hurricane in order to sustain the blood supply during and immediately after the event,” said Susan Forbes, OneBlood’s senior vice president of corporate communications and public relations, in the alert.

A list of OneBlood locations is available at www.oneblood.org.

LifeSouth Community Blood Centers sent a similar appeal on Monday. More at https://donors.lifesouth.org/donor/schedules/zip

This story will be updated throughout the day.

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This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: What you need to know as Idalia approaches