MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — It can be tough to think about something other than the coronavirus pandemic, but don't forget about hurricane season.
Hurricane season begins June 1, and projections say it could be a busy one.
Tampa Bay area counties have been preparing since the end of the last hurricane season, including Manatee County.
Manatee County’s Emergency Management Chief Steve Litschauer briefed the media on Thursday on this year’s hurricane plans for the area.
Litschauer says to start shopping ASAP for items to put in your hurricane preparedness kit. As usual, you want to make sure to have the essentials like water, non-perishable food and medicine.
This year, you’ll need to add some items to your shopping list. Because of the coronavirus, Litschauer says to make sure you have face masks, gloves and hand sanitizer, especially if you plan to take cover at a county shelter.
Litschauer says instead of just having enough in your kit to make it through a few days, because of the trajectory of this hurricane season, he suggests you have enough for at least a seven-day supply.
With tax-free weekend coming up, it’s the perfect time to shop and stock up. But, Litschauer urges people to not hoard supplies.
During hurricane season Litschauer says it’s also important to know your home.
“Knowing your home is so important because as we saw in Hurricane Irma people that did not need to evacuate did,” Litschauer said. “So, they took up either space on the road or space in the shelters.”
To find out what your evacuation zone is, click here. We have maps for each county.
Manatee County evacuates for two main reasons: a storm surge and if you live in a mobile home. Depending on when your house was built will tell you how strong it is.
If you have to evacuate, there are 24 general population shelters in the county. Those will be opened as needed with a phase in approach. But, Chief Litschauer recommends you stay somewhere else.
“At the end of the day it keeps you safe from the elements and that we can guarantee,”County spokesperson Nicholas Azzara said. “But there’s no guarantee that you would stay safe from the spread of the coronavirus despite distancing and facemasks and hand sanitizers, so you are putting yourself at risk.”
Azzara and Litschauer recommend finding a family member or friend to stay with. Another option, hotels and Airbnb’s should be available.
If you have no other choice but to go to a shelter you can find your closest shelter here.
On the map, the little icons that look like schoolhouses with flags are identifying the shelter locations. If it's red that means the shelter is closed and if it's green it's open.
Because of COVID-19 shelters will require you to wear a mask and practice social distancing. Normally shelters would have 20 square-feet between people. Now, they'll have 60 square feet a person.
"Mathematically what that does to our general population shelters is bring it down to 35.4% of its capacity,” Litschauer said.
That means, for example, if a shelter can host 100 people, now with social distancing they'll only host 34.
“For special-needs shelters it goes from 60 square foot to 110 square foot and that is 54% capacity."
So, when you look at capacity, Manatee County shelters can hold 36,842 people, but when you factor in social distancing, it brings the amount of people they can house down to 13,047 people. That’s cut down more than half of their original capacity.
That’s why they are encouraging you to find another place to go and leave the shelters for those who have no other option.
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