Gabrielle Russon
To prepare for Hurricane Milton striking Florida in the next 48 hours, Orlando is giving out free sandbags, waiving parking garage fees downtown and making sure the city’s system is ready.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and officials gave the updates at a Monday afternoon press conference as Central Florida braces for a major hurricane.
City Hall and nonessential city operations are closed Wednesday and Thursday. The city will suspend residential and commercial garbage recycling and yard waste pickup starting noon Wednesday.
Starting at 6 a.m. Wednesday, four Orlando city parking garages will be free for residents to park downtown at the garages on Central Boulevard, Jefferson Street, the Orange County Administration Building and the downtown Orlando library. Cars must be removed by noon Friday, and no oversized vehicles — including campers, boats or trailers — are allowed.
“I know that there’s been a lot of discussion about Teslas getting submerged and having issues,” Dyer said. “So if you want to put your car in a good safe place, you can do it for free in one of our garages.”
The Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) warned that Milton will cause outages and some residents could face multiple days without power.
“Mutual aid resources are traveling from states farther away to assist us than with most storms,” said OUC spokeswoman Jenise Osani, noting that many crews are in the Carolinas due to Hurricane Helene. “Once they arrive, they’ll work alongside OUC crews and employees to restore power lines and fix any customer issues 24/7, as long as it is safe to do.”
Meanwhile, Orlando city engineer Lucy Phillip said the public works department is checking inlets, canals, ditches and elsewhere to make sure the system is ready for heavy rains.
“We’re proactively lowering lake levels, and staff is working around the clock to make sure that the debris is clear,” Phillip said.
Orlando city government is joining Orange County and other municipal governments in giving away free sandbags.
Orlando’s giveaway is at Camping World Stadium from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, then 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
Residents should bring their ID and a shovel. Each household is eligible for 10 free sandbags and instructed to enter the stadium at the Tinker Field section through the gate at Anderson Street and Rio Grande Avenue.
Dyer said the city is working with nonprofits to keep homeless people safe from the storm. Shelters are expanding their capacity.
“Our homeless outreach teams and downtown ambassadors are already out on the streets, providing weather information and directing our communities’ most vulnerable to the shelters,” Dyer said.
Dyer urged residents to take the storm seriously, prepare and take care of each other.
“Let’s do what we do best and showcase our city’s compassion by checking in on your neighbors, especially seniors and those with special needs, to see if they need assistance,” Dyer said. “I know that after the storm, we will do what we do best: We’ll come together and move forward.”
