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    • Polk County Prepares for Hurricane Helene
    Colorado

    Polk County Prepares for Hurricane Helene

    Madoc Meredith Posted on

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    (This story has been updated with new information.)

    Hurricane Helene broke away from Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Wednesday morning and began its northeastward journey toward Florida.

    Senior meteorologist Nicole Carlisle of the National Weather Service’s Tampa Bay office said Helene is expected to strengthen fairly quickly over the next 24 hours as it moves across the Gulf. The hurricane is expected to continue making landfall in the Big Bend area of ​​Florida, as its projected track has not changed significantly since Tuesday.

    Polk County is under a National Weather Service tropical storm warning, with sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph or more expected within 36 hours or less. As the storm moves across the Gulf on Thursday, the county is expected to experience heavy rain and strong wind gusts.

    “Polk is less likely to be inland because it will be offshore and pass us to the west. The exact impacts will depend on where it moves,” Carlisle said.

    Polk residents can expect an estimated 3 to 6 inches of rainfall, with even more possible in some locations on Thursday. Winds between 35 and 74 miles per hour are expected.

    There is a “likely” chance of local flooding, Carlisle said, but she did not have any current forecasts for the Peace River.

    The hurricane is expected to move quickly. Once Helene makes landfall as a potential Category 3 hurricane, wind gusts should subside fairly quickly, Carlisle said.

    Declaration of emergency

    Gov. Ron DeSantis included Polk County in a state of emergency update Tuesday. The state is warning of a severe and extremely destructive storm and urging coastal residents to evacuate, especially in the Big Bend area.

    Polk County Disaster Management

    The county’s emergency management center continues to monitor the storm’s progress, according to Paul Womble, Polk County emergency management director.

    The county’s sandbag storage facilities remained open Wednesday. On Tuesday, the county distributed 17,388 sandbags and by the end of Wednesday, that number could rise to nearly 40,000, Womble said.

    He also said the county has no plans to open emergency shelters. The people in the county who most need medical attention were called by the health department on Tuesday.

    “There were no real concerns at this point,” Womble said. He added: “If people are at home and have medical equipment that requires power, everyone needs to have an emergency plan.”

    He said that in addition to localized flooding, the county is also expecting possible power outages from downed trees and power lines due to wind gusts. He urged residents not to go near downed trees or power lines because of the risk of electrocution.

    “If you see downed power lines, assume they are live until you are sure they are not,” Womble said.

    It will be dangerous to be on the streets

    He also said that strong winds posed a risk of high-profile vehicles overturning, so he advised residents not to drive on Thursday during the worst of the storm.

    When conditions in Polk County allow a sheriff’s deputy to respond to an emergency, paramedics may also ride along if the call is for medical reasons, Womble said. Ambulances are considered high-safety vehicles and cannot respond to emergency calls at certain wind speeds.

    Stay away from floods and use generators safely

    Womble advised residents not to wade through floodwaters as they may contain sewage, wildlife or other hidden dangers.

    He also said generators must be placed at a safe distance from homes or businesses because their exhaust contains carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless and tasteless gas. It can cause flu-like symptoms and unconsciousness, and in some cases the gas can be fatal.

    Every year there are deaths when gasoline-powered generators are placed in homes, garages or too close to buildings.

    “Make sure they walk safely and that they are not allowed to be indoors,” Womble said.

    Garbage collection

    According to Dale Henderson, director of Polk County’s solid waste department, Thursday’s garbage collection has not been canceled or postponed so far.

    “I do not currently anticipate there will be any disruption or changes to services,” Henderson said Wednesday morning.

    Bus connection

    According to Tom Phillips, general manager of Citrus Connection, all bus and public transportation in Polk County will be suspended on Thursday due to the storm.

    In order to accommodate dialysis patients with scheduled appointments on Thursday, Citrus Connection is bringing them to the centers on Wednesday, a day earlier than planned, he said.

    Theme parks

    Legoland was open on Wednesday, but a decision about opening on Thursday had not been made by Wednesday morning.

    Transport projects

    According to Polk County, CSX Transportation’s planned closure of the Saddle Creek Road railroad crossing at the Saddle Creek Distribution Warehouse complex west of Fish Hatchery Road has been postponed because of the hurricane.

    The closure scheduled for Wednesday will be postponed. A new notice will be issued once a date for the resumption of repair work has been set.

    News from school

    Lake Wales Charter Schools announced that all schools and the central office will be closed Thursday and Friday. The district plans to cancel or postpone all extracurricular programs and sports activities beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

    On Tuesday, Polk County Public Schools announced that classes and extracurricular activities would be canceled Thursday and Friday and that all extracurricular activities would end at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

    The Schools of McKeel Academy also canceled their extracurricular activities on Wednesday and will close their schools on Thursday and Friday.

    Polk State College and its college high schools will be closed Thursday and Friday due to the storm. The closure affects all PSC activities, including online and distance learning. The college plans to resume classes on Saturday.

    Florida Southern College will close its campus on Thursday and move to online classes on Thursday and Friday.

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    Madoc Meredith
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