Manatee County Declares Local Emergency In Anticipation Of Storm

MANATEE COUNTY, FL -- Manatee County commissioners have declared a local state of emergency during a special meeting on subtropical storm Alberto Friday, May 25. The storm is forecast to bring up to 6 or 8 eight inches of rain Friday to Tuesday and could result in local flooding along low-lying areas.

"We’re primarily concerned with the amount of rain we’ve received over last two weeks on top of a forecast that is predicting between 4 and 8 inches of rain and in some areas up to 12 inches of rain between tonight and Tuesday," said Public Safety Director Robert Smith. "We’re asking for declaration of emergency because the worst of rain is slated to hit in the middle of long holiday weekend."

Commissioners voted unanimously for the local state of emergency that will allow county staff to perform any emergency actions needed during the storm. There are no plans for an evacuation or shelter openings, but county residents should monitor the news and the county's social media pages for updates.

Manatee County Public Works will distribute sandbags today until 7 p.m. and tomorrow, May 26 from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. at Manatee County Transit & Fleet Facility, 2411 Tallevast Road.

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Emergency Management officials will actively monitor the storm over the weekend but there are no plans yet to activate the Emergency Operations Center.

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