Gabrielle Russon
Orange County might get spared from some of Hurricane Milton’s most devastating winds, but it won’t escape from getting dumped with up to 15 inches of rain in some areas, officials said.
The message to the public: Get off the roads and hunker down at home by noon Wednesday as the weather deteriorates. The worst weather is coming Wednesday night into early Thursday.
Because Milton is now tracking south of Interstate 4, Orange County’s western portion could get hit with 10 to 15 inches of rain, while the eastern side is projected to get 6 to 10 inches.
“We’re going to be on the north side of the eye, which always equates in a hurricane with a larger amount of rainfall,” Orange County Public Safety Director Danny Banks said at a Tuesday evening press conference alongside Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings.
“Orange County is currently under a hurricane warning by the National Weather Service. … Even with that track going south of us, we can still expect significant impacts to Orange County, both with rain and with wind speeds.”
In anticipation of flooding, the county gave out 200,000 free sandbags in two days and took proactive steps to make sure the system is as ready as it can be for such an intense rainfall.
Orange County Public Works also has been running pumps ahead of the storm to free up space in lake basins and stormwater ponds, said Director Joe Kunkel.
The county also checked drain wells to make sure they aren’t blocked, cleared canals and visited ongoing construction projects to make sure there were no issues, Kunkel said.
“We think we can handle most of that rain. We may see some localized flooding in Orlo Vista as well as localized flooding in other areas that are prone. There’s a lot of areas inside Orange County that 8 to 10 inches will create some challenges,” Kunkel said.
The county is opening emergency shelters to help the general public and people with special needs. Several shelters are pet-friendly.
Lynx is operating free rides to the shelter until bus service is suspended 3 p.m. Wednesday.
Orange County Fire Rescue also visited more than 80 mobile homes to encourage them to go to shelters or help them prepare, officials said.
Elsewhere from around the state, Milton evacuees are coming to metro Orlando and there are plenty of hotel rooms available, Demings said.
“Rain is going to be significant. Wind will be significant. We’re going to see some trees down, some power lines down, some loss of power,” Demings said. “As we prepare for tomorrow and the inevitable what will happen with this particular storm, I want our community to remember that we are a community of faith. … A prayer does help.”
By 2 p.m. Wednesday, Orlando’s theme parks will have closed.
