St. Lucie County government officials started ramping up preparations this week in anticipation of Tropical Storm Dorian’s arrival in South Florida on Sunday.
Officials were monitoring the progress of Dorian and working through pre-storm checklists to prepare government buildings, drainage, water and sewer utilities, and emergency vehicles and equipment.
Residents should also keep an eye on the storm and stock up on emergency supplies, such as medicine, water, non-perishable food, fuel and batteries, officials said.
“While we don’t know yet what the impact to our area will be, we are encouraging our community to monitor weather reports, our Facebook page, the St. Lucie County Facebook page and be prepared no matter what,” said Sheriff Ken Mascara.
Anyone who may need to use the county’s medical special needs shelter or pet-friendly shelter should register using the county web site, officials said.
(https://www.stlucieco.gov/departments-services/a-z/public-safety/disaster-preparedness)
As Dorian’s cone of uncertainty narrows, St. Lucie County will advise the public of shelter openings and evacuation zones, said county spokesman Erick Gill. County and school district officials are discussing if or when storm shelters would need to open, Gill said.
In the event that the Emergency Operations Center is activated, official video briefings will be broadcast on Facebook at 8 a.m., noon and 5 p.m.
St. Lucie Public Schools officials verified all campuses are secure and transportation teams are prepared, said spokeswoman Lydia Martin.
“If conditions impact school operations, SLPS will share information through its social media networks and local media partners,” Martin said.
Port St. Lucie officials encouraged resident to monitor the storm on the websites of the National Hurricane Center, Miami (www.nhc.noaa.gov) and National Weather Service, Melbourne (https://www.weather.gov/mlb/).
It is too late to trim trees in advance of the storm, officials said. Homeowners should not stack vegetative debris by the curb because it might not be collected prior to the storm’s arrival, officials said. The debris can become projectiles or clog drains and cause local flooding.
Port St. Lucie’s trash and recycling pickup remains on schedule until further notice, said city spokeswoman Sarah Prohaska. “Residents are being asked to begin cleaning up their properties for anything that could become windblown debris,” Prohaska said.