Osceola County asks residents to ‘shelter in place’ Wednesday and Thursday

Osceola County Office of Emergency Management Director Bill Litton at a Hurricane Ian preparedness briefing asked residents to shelter in place during storm conditions Wednesday and Thursday.

“We are asking our public currently to finish all preparations for your home and your family by end of business today,” said Litton at the Osceola County Emergency Operations Center on Tuesday. “We ask you for both Wednesday and Thursday to stay in place in either your home location or if you decide to go to one of our community shelters make that decision… early.”

Litton said Osceola County will face high tropical-storm-force winds with the possibilities of hurricane-force winds, between six to eight inches of rain and tornado threats.

“We will be asking all residents to stay off the roads… on Wednesday and Thursday for their safety,” Litton said.

Osceola County schools are closed Tuesday through Friday, an update to previously announced school closures through Thursday.

Commissioner Brandon Arrington said three Osceola County shelters will open at 2 p.m. Tuesday.

The shelters are at Celebration High School; Kissimmee Middle School as the pet-friendly shelter; and Harmony High School.

The Osceola Council of Aging, a special needs shelter, will open at 2 p.m. Tuesday. Arrington asked residents to bring their medications to the shelter.

Osceola County Sheriff Marcos R. Lopez said registered sex offenders will not be allowed to enter shelters designated for the rest of the population.

“Their designated shelters are going to be at the Osceola County Courthouse,” Lopez said. “We are also going to have deputies at the shelters to make sure you’re safe.”

Deputies will be placed at strategic locations throughout the duration of the storm without having them in harm’s way but they will respond to emergencies, Lopez said.

“We’re going to have a zero tolerance of any individuals committing crimes during the storm,” Lopez said. “If you’re out and up to no good we’re going to arrest you and your shelter is going to be the Osceola County jail, which will be a lot longer time than the storm.”

There is not a curfew, Lopez said, and there are no mandatory evacuations.

Lopez urged residents to stay safe and be patient at gas stations and grocery stores.

“We’ve seen a lot of people getting in fights at the gas stations and grocery stores, we don’t need this; it’s not the end of the world,” Lopez said.

Arrington said the county is keeping an eye on flooding especially at Good Samaritan Society, a 55-and-up community near Shingle Creek.

During Hurricane Irma in 2017 Good Samaritan Society flooded due to the rain and forced elderly residents to evacuate.

“There’s been a self-evacuation prepared by the folks at Good Samaritan already in those low-lying areas and fortunately we have also completed the shoaling at the end of Shingle Creek, which helped pent up some of that water,” Arrington said. “We’ve partnered better with Orange County to make sure they’re not releasing any water down Shingle Creek.”

Still, Arrington said, Osceola County residents in low-lying areas and mobile homes should use the shelters.

Sandbags will be available for residents at Osceola Heritage Park until 6 p.m. Tuesday, with a limit of 25 bags and the St. Cloud Civic Center will also distribute sandbags until 7 p.m. Tuesday with a limit of 15 bags.