Gabrielle Russon
The Orange County government is giving out free sandbags on Tuesday and Wednesday to help residents prepare for the upcoming storm.
Several neighborhoods in Central Florida — including recently in downtown Orlando — flooded this Summer during significant rainfall that dumped several inches of rain per hour.
Now, officials are encouraging residents to be prepared for the storm that’s expected to head into the Gulf of Mexico and is forecast to become a hurricane on Wednesday.
“Orange County Public Works Roads and Drainage Division is delivering sandbags and sand to meet demand. Residents will be provided with 10 unfilled sandbags and directed to the sand pile on site. All residents will need to bring their own shovel to fill their sandbags,” the Orange County government said in a news release.
Six sandbag sites will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The locations are:
— Barnett Park: 4801 W. Colonial Dr., Orlando, 32808.
— Bithlo Community Park: 18501 Washington Ave., Orlando, 32820.
— Clarcona Horse Park: 3535 Damon Rd., Apopka, 32703.
— Downey Park: 10107 Flowers Ave., Orlando, 32825.
— Meadow Woods Recreation Center: 1751 Rhode Island Woods Circle, Orlando, 32824.
— West Orange Recreation Center: 309 S West Crown Point Rd., Winter Garden, 34787.
Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 41 counties ahead of the storm. Those counties are Alachua, Bay, Bradford, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, Columbia, Dixie, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hernando, Hillsborough, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Monroe, Okaloosa, Pasco, Pinellas, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Wakulla, Walton and Washington.
DeSantis’ executive order warned of “storm surge, coastal flooding and erosion, heavy rainfall and flash flooding, and damaging winds to the Florida Gulf Coast.”
“The incoming heavy rainfall, flooding, and gusty winds will cause widespread power outages due to fallen trees and power lines,” the order said. “The conditions could damage the operational capability of major interstates, roadways, bridges, airports, schools, hospitals, power grids and other critical infrastructure.”
