Manatee County urges residents to monitor T.S. Laura closely

MANATEE COUNTY, FL (Aug. 21, 2020) – Manatee County Emergency Management officials urged Manatee County residents to monitor tropical storms approaching Florida over the weekend. It is still too early to know exactly where the storms will track, but Tropical Storm Laura may bring strong winds, heavy rain and storm surge to Manatee County, said Emergency Management Chief Steve Litschauer.

“We’re expecting tropical storm winds as early as Monday night or early Tuesday morning here,” Litschauer said. “There’s still a lot of uncertainty since Tropical Storm Laura is still so far out. Residents should not focus attention on the cone of uncertainty but more on trends this far out. As T.S. Laura moves closer to Florida the cone and track will shift multiple times east and west.

Strong winds and storm surge are the top concerns for local officials, but there are no plans yet for shelter openings. County residents should monitor the news and the County's social media pages for updates. Residents can text ManateeReady to 888-777 for the latest messages from Manatee County regarding any storm or COVID-19.

"We’ve reached the peak of Hurricane Season and you must have a plan and be ready," added Public Safety Director Jacob Saur. "We're continuing to remind Manatee County residents that a public shelter should be your absolute last resort if severe weather approaches. Contact friends or family who live inland or outside of evacuation areas and try to stay with them if you need to evacuate."

Manatee County’s new 311 call center will field calls from the public should the Emergency Operations Center activate.