St. Lucie County officials prepare for Hurricane Ian; flooding remains top concern

ST. LUCIE COUNTY— As Hurricane Ian moves toward Florida, county officials are taking precautions, prepping for flooding in some areas.

The county's Emergency Operations Center has been activated to a level 3, which is typically a monitoring phase, according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

While Ian could have severe impacts on the west coast of Florida, it's likely the Treasure Coast will be spared from drastic weather.

"Even though the storm is coming in from the Gulf side of the state, it can still create heavy surf, rip currents and erosion," said county spokesperson Erick Gill. "Right now, flooding is the biggest concern as the forecast is calling for 3-6 inches of rain on top of the 6-9 inches we have already received."

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There's been some reports of flooding in Port St. Lucie as of Monday morning, but there's been no road closures, according to Gill.

In anticipation of flooding, the county's been checking drains and culverts prone to clogging — such as ones in Indian River Estates, Lakewood Park and Holiday Pines — before and after each rainfall.

The same goes for the four main drainage outfall canals in western St. Lucie County on Orange Avenue, Glades Cut-Off Road, Carlton Road and Germany Canal Road.

The Public Works Department also has been testing and fueling emergency bypass pumps in White City and Lakewood Park, Gill added.

Fueling generators, trucks and heavy equipment is another precaution the county is taking.

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As of Monday, it's unknown if any emergency shelters will open. However, the county is urging residents who have special medical needs to pre-register for the special needs shelter at https://www.stlucieco.gov/departments-and-services/public-safety/special-medical-needs-information

Residents with pets who live in low-laying areas and/or mobile homes should pre-register for the county's pet-friendly shelter at https://www.stlucieco.gov/departments-and-services/public-safety/animal-safety-service-protection/pet-shelter-registration.

Residents also should be reviewing their hurricane preparedness plans, ensuring their hurricane kit is ready and updated with the necessary items such as water, nonperishables, first aid kits and medication.

For more information about hurricane preparedness, go to www.stlucieco.gov/EOC.

Olivia McKelvey is TCPalm's watchdog reporter for St. Lucie County. You can reach her at olivia.mckelvey@tcpalm.com, 772-521-4380 and on Twitter @olivia_mckelvey.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Hurricane Ian: St. Lucie County prepares for flooding in some areas