Advertisement

Hernando will wait till Friday to decide on Irma evacuations

 
Published Sept. 7, 2017

BROOKSVILLE — Hernando County emergency management officials decided Thursday afternoon not to enact any immediate mandatory evacuations as they continue to monitor Hurricane Irma.

They are asking all residents in hurricane evacuation zones A, B and C, along or near the coast, to have a plan in place in case evacuations become necessary.

They will revisit the issue Friday.

No shelters were opened Thursday in Hernando, but Cecilia Patella, the county's emergency management director, has said that if shelters are opened, they might serve both local residents and those from out of the area seeking refuge from the strong storm.

Initial storm tracks, which would take Irma along the east coast of Florida, could bring storm surges of 3 to 6 feet in coastal Hernando County, according to Virginia Singer, public information manager for the county. With a shift to the west, those surges could run 10 to 15 feet.

Hernando officials issued an emergency declaration Wednesday.