North Port residents urged to prepare for Milton

Published on October 06, 2024

The City of North Port is urging residents to prepare themselves and their families for impacts from Hurricane Milton.

Sarasota County will be calling for evacuations in Level A and potentially Levels A and B. This includes those in manufactured home communities or mobile or boat homes.

North Port residents who live in low-lying areas or who have experienced flooding of their homes in the past are urged to implement their preparedness plans.

North Port Fire Chief Scott Titus is reminding residents who live in these areas that this should be considered a “mandatory” evacuation and urges them to take it seriously.

"If you do not leave, there is a strong likelihood you would be inaccessible by emergency services for the duration of the storm and multiple days following," Titus said. "You will likely be without power and could have high levels of water and hazards in your home that have a likelihood of danger to life and health."

If you plan to leave the area, do so now. This is expected to be one of the largest evacuations along our state's west coast.

Visit scgov.net to view a list of Sarasota County evacuation centers or find your evacuation level.

All residents should take this time to prepare their properties and their disaster kits, including enough water, non-perishable food and medicine for a minimum of seven days for each member of their family.

Street ponding expected

For the past 10 days, Department of Public Works staff have been doing all they can to lower water levels throughout North Port's stormwater system in preparation of the anticipated rain.

However, because the ground is already saturated from our near record rainfall this year, there will still be ponding in the streets due to additional excessive rainfall. Never drive through standing water - turn around, don't drown.

Learn more about the City's stormwater system and how it is maintained at NorthPortFL.gov/Stormwater.

Sandbags

The City has opened a self-serve sandbag station at the Larry Thoennissen Athletic Fields behind the George Mullen Activity Center, 1602 Kramer Way.

Bags and sand will be available while supplies last, with a limit of 10 bags per vehicle. Residents are asked to bring their own shovels. There are no scheduled opening or closing hours.

Emergency declaration

The City Commission will hold an emergency meeting at 10 a.m. Monday, Oct. 7, at City Hall to declare a local state of emergency. This proactive measure is a procedural step to allow emergency funding for any necessary repairs.

Closures

Warm Mineral Springs Park will be closed Monday, Oct. 7, and until further notice.

For the latest status updates on Parks & Recreation facilities, visit NorthPortFL.gov/ParksAndRecreation.

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