Snapshot Update #2 on Hurricane Milton
Hurricane Milton continues to head toward Florida's west coast, currently as a Category 5 storm, as it moves across the Gulf toward Tampa Bay. Residents on Florida's west coast are being warned that the storm brings with it the potential for deadly storm surge, high amounts of rainfall and sustained winds. Residents are encouraged to take action early in response to warnings, watches and evacuation orders from public officials. Because of Milton's size and strength, impacts are expected to span the entire Florida peninsula. Broward County is already under a Flood Watch through Thursday morning due to heavy rainfall already received. Additional watches and warnings are possible for South Florida through mid-week.
Here are the latest updates on Broward County's activities:
The County Administrator has declared a
Local State of Emergency as of 3PM Monday. As of 3PM Monday, all agencies of Broward County Government are expected to be open for business as usual on Tuesday. The Broward County Emergency Operations Center is at Level 3 (Monitoring). At this time, the Tuesday, October 8 meeting of the Broward County Commission is expected to take place as scheduled. Any changes will be dependent on continuous weather updates. The U.S. Coast Guard has put Port Everglades under “Condition X-Ray," indicating that gale force winds are possible within 48 hours. The Port is expected to move to “Condition Yankee" at midnight, indicating that gale force winds are possible within 24 hours. Princess Cruises is monitoring the storm to determine the best course of action for the arrival of their new ship, Sun Princess, and the inaugural activities scheduled for later this week. Travelers should contact their airline and/or cruise line for the latest operating updates for transportation leaving from and arriving at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), North Perry Airport (HWO) and Port Everglades (PEV). Delays are possible. Broward County Transit is communicating with operators and prepared to establish detours if necessary and notify riders of any service disruptions. Public Works agencies are coordinating with Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to assist in quickly responding to any issues on County maintained streets, highways, and bridges. Staff have been engaged in clearing drains throughout the County, have checked pumps and staged pumps in strategic locations, and have additional pumps available to deploy when needed. Resources are staged to effect a quick response to any flooding incidents in Broward Municipal Services District (BMSD) communities and the Office of the Medical Examiner & Trauma Services and Animal Care. The Broward Municipal Services District (BMSD) is distributing sand bags to BMSD residents today from noon through 6PM at Reverend Samuel Delevoe Memorial Park, 2520 N.W. Sixth Street in Fort Lauderdale. The site will reopen at 9AM Tuesday and remain open as long as supplies last. Up to six bags per residence. Sandbags will be provided and shovels will be available for use. Most Broward County Parks remain open with the following exceptions:
Easterlin Park will close at 5PM Monday, and will be closed until further notice. The campground at Quiet Waters Park is currently closed until further notice. The following amenities at Tradewinds Parks & Stables are closed: disc golf courses, farm barn and farmyard, horse trails, multipurpose fields, softball fields, walking paths on the south side of the park, and Windmill Square. Some park events are being canceled. For latest updates on County parks, check
here.
At this time, the County does not intend to open shelters. Any changes will be dependent on weather updates. However, due to the significant amounts of rainfall anticipated, the County will partner with its shelter providers to open a limited number of shelter spaces for persons experiencing homelessness. Homeless persons are advised to report to The Salvation Army, 1445 W. Broward Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale, no later than 6PM tonight for transportation to the Homeless Assistance Centers.
Executive leadership continues to work with our Office of Emergency Management, in coordination with County agencies, Broward municipalities, Broward County Public Schools, neighboring jurisdictions and others as necessary, to prepare and respond to any impacts.
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