Citrus County officials kept a close watch on weather charts Saturday, anxious to know where Ivan would head.
Could county officials and residents begin to relax after a week of dealing with the aftermath of Frances, or would the cycle of hurricane preparedness begin again?
By Saturday morning, Ivan had ripped through Jamaica, and the projected path of the hurricane shifted farther west of the Nature Coast than earlier predictions. The forecast showed Ivan coming onshore near the Panhandle sometime Tuesday afternoon or evening, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The latest hurricane information is available at the St. Petersburg Times Web site, www.sptimes.com and many other local media outlets.
It's too early to tell what will happen, county officials said. Just look at what happened with Hurricane Charley. Officials said they're still cleaning up from Frances and are looking ahead.
"We're preplanning for Ivan," said Citrus County sheriff's spokeswoman Ronda Hemminger Evan.
County officials are trying to ensure that staff members are refreshed and ready to go if Ivan hits here. That hasn't been easy, she said, because county workers last week put in long hours to aid a county severely impacted by Frances. Officials will attempt to give employees a full day off sometime in the next few days in order to give them time to rest, she said.
Scaling back on personnel won't be easy though, Evan said.
"We're still in the recovery process for Frances," she said. "We continue to serve meals and water to residents."
Citrus residents took a hard blow from Frances.
Thousands went without power for much of the week. Hundreds of residents still had no power by Saturday morning.
Two hundred Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative customers in Citrus County remained without power Saturday morning. The number of Progress Energy Florida customers without power was not available Saturday morning, but 10,962 customers were without power Friday afternoon. Sumter Electric Cooperative restored power to all of its customers in Citrus by Saturday morning.
Electric companies promised to restore power to all residents by Sunday night, but officials weren't happy with the rate of power restoration, particularly with projections showing Ivan may impact this area early in the week.
State emergency relief, such as water and ice, was slow to arrive, prompting Sheriff Jeff Dawsy and other county officials to demand the state speed up the delivery process. Residents relied on donations of water, food and ice from private companies - including Publix, Wal-Mart, Anheuser-Busch and Bank of America.
Storm information and relief continue to be available to residents.
The Sheriff's Office will operate three citizen information lines at least through Sunday. The lines provide current local emergency updates about Ivan as well as evacuation information, if necessary. The numbers are 746-6555, 746-5470 and 527-2106. Also, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., residents can call 527-5500.
The county also will staff additional lines at the Lecanto Government Building.
The Salvation Army will distribute 10,000 voucher cards beginning at 9 a.m. Monday at the Salvation Army office, 3975 W Grover Cleveland Blvd., Homosassa.
The cards will be valid for purchases at all Wal-Mart stores. Residents who need voucher cards must bring a picture ID and a valid Social Security card for each member of the family. The voucher amount will vary depending on the size of each family. For information, call Capt. Heidi Farrell at 621-5532.
Kelly's Health Club, 6860 W Kelly Court, Crystal River, opened its pool and showers to the public Saturday afternoon. Anyone with questions can contact Jim Sleighter at 795-3703.
Gas supplies again dwindled Saturday throughout the county after rumors of gas rations spread. Though the rumors were false, people packed pumps throughout the day. Saturday morning, several stations again posted notices that gas had run out.
Kristin Morton, 34, was among the motorists lining up for gas at a Circle K station on U.S. 19 in Crystal River. Morton said she wasn't panicked about Ivan.
"At this point - the third storm this season - we're used to it," she said.
Nonetheless, she topped off the tank of her red Jeep Grand Cherokee. Morton and her husband, Kevin, as well as their 2-year-old daughter, Amber, and the family pets plan to head to Kentucky on Sunday if Ivan heads this way. Just in case, she said.
