About 20,000 Hernando County residents are expected to start leaving their homes around daybreak to escape the wrath of Hurricane Charley.
The mandatory evacuation will affect the 4,000 residents who live along the Gulf Coast, west of U.S. 19 and all those who live in mobile homes throughout the county.
By 1 p.m. today when the high winds and heavy rains associated with Charley are forecast, the roads are expected to be clear.
Eight public schools in the county will open today. At least one of the sites, West Hernando Middle School, opened its doors Thursday to people with special needs.
Jean Rags, Hernando's social services coordinator, said that the Emergency Operations Center has coordinated picking up those who have no other means of transportation. They include shut-ins, the elderly, those in wheelchairs and people with oxygen dependencies.
County emergency management director Thomas Leto encouraged others not to take too much advantage of the option because, as shelters fill, resources will be stretched to handle the influx of residents. Further, there are only 5,500 spaces available in the converted cafeterias, Leto said.
"There is not a lot there," added Barry Crowley, the school district's coordinator for safety and security. "It is not like going to a motel. If I had a choice, I would try to find somewhere else to go."
Coffee and three meals will be provided. But there will be no cots, pets, alcohol or nonprescription drugs allowed.
However, people could bring along their prescribed medications, personal toiletries, snacks and something to either sit or lie on. Ham radios announcing updated weather bulletins will be the only source of communication during the storm.
Officials are predicting that Hurricane Charley will make landfall between 2 and 3 p.m. today.
In preparation for the violent winds and driving rains, which could lead to a Category 3 hurricane if it hits Pinellas County earlier today, Leto recommended that all those living in fabricated homes and residents in Evacuation Zone A/B should begin to leave.
The area was designated as most susceptible to property damage and flooding similar to 1993 when the no-name storm struck the area.
An 11-foot storm surge, coupled with the dwindling effects of Tropical Storm Bonnie, could turn roads into waterways. Shoal Line Boulevard, for example, could be 5 or 6 feet under water as a result.
It does not take much for coastal communities such as Pine Island to become water-logged, Leto said. A 4-foot storm surge would be enough for flooding, particularly during high tides, he added.
Leto and others explained that residents should prepare to make an early exit to avoid traffic as more than 500,000 residents from neighboring counties to the south were ordered out.
"We are saying that if you plan to evacuate, do it now," Barbara Green of Emergency Management said Thursday. "The earlier people could leave and avoid traffic, the better."
But once people make that decision to leave, there is no turning back, said Sheriff Richard Nugent.
Once the storm passes and the County Commission issues an order saying that the conditions have eased, people will be allowed to return.
Residents and business owners will be asked to show proof of residency and identification, which could include a driver's license or an occupational license.
While Nugent dissuaded people in the evacuated areas from riding out the hurricane, he acknowledged that about 25 percent of those residents might decide to stay put.
"We are not going to put deputies and firefighters at risk if you find yourself in a raging storm," Nugent said. "You can't risk other folks."
Staying could land some people in jail, though the chances of that happening is slim. Sheriff's deputies will be out in force, patrolling the coastline and manning roadblocks in those areas.
Community Emergency Response Team members will conduct damage assessments throughout the storm and report back to county officials. But what could be done during the height of the storm is anyone's guess.
David Millendorf, the mitigation and recovery coordinator with Emergency Management, said the damage assessment could begin as early as Saturday morning. The crews and their equipment, which were positioned at the Hernando County Airport on Thursday, will gauge the needs of the community and damaged property in order to apply for federal aid should President Bush declare the region a disaster area.
On Wednesday, Gov. Jeb Bush declared a state of emergency, meaning that state and local agencies must take protective measures. Also, resources such as generators, water and supplies are made available in case the agencies need them.
