Sarasota County urges Zone A, B residents to evacuate

In an 8 a.m. Wednesday update, there are 2,600 people and 300 pets in Sarasota County shelters. Capacity is 26,000, and all shelters are open to pets. 

Sustained winds in the area are expected to surpass 45 mph in the area in by late morning. The county emphasizes that residents should stay where they are once winds hit 45 mph; county emergency services will also shut down at that time.

Sarasota County in a 7:30 p.m. Tuesday update urges residents to respond to Hurricane Ian. Zones A and B were ordered to evacuate at 8 a.m. Tuesday by 8 p.m.

"We really need to get the word out," said Ed McCrane, the county emergency management chief. "(The area) has not seen a storm like this."

As of 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, there are 1,765 people in evacuation shelters in the county, averaging 140 per shelter. The shelters can each fit a couple thousand people.  The two shelters for medically dependent, which can each hold 1,000, have a total 295 evacuees. 

"There should be a lot more people in the shelters," McCrane said. During Hurricane Irma in 2017, there were 20,000 people in the evacuation shelters. A county spokeswoman said about 150,000 people live in the two evacuation zones. 

McCrane emphasizes that those in mobile homes and RV and trailer parks, all of which are in Zone A, need to evacuate.

"Get to those shelters. Get to those evacuation centers," he said. "You still have time."

When the sustained winds in Sarasota County reach 45 mph, he said, "you don't want to go anywhere." Emergency services will shut down when winds are above 45 mph. "It may take 24 hours to move out of our area before emergency vehicles can go back out.

"Don't risk your and your family's life by staying in a mobile home or camper."

The storm surge, which is expected to be 4-8 feet north of mid-Longboat and 8-12 feet south of mid-Longboat, is the key factor the county uses to determine evacuations. 

"Seven feet (of water over barrier island) will take house right off its foundation on the beach," McCrane said. "We need people to get to the evacuation centers."