State Of Emergency Declared In Manatee County Ahead Of Elsa

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — Manatee County declared a local state of emergency Sunday ahead as Tropical Storm Elsa approaches Florida, the county said in a news release.

Manatee County’s Emergency Operations Center will activate to a level two activation Monday at 8 a.m. This is an activation that does not require activation of every branch of emergency support functions.

"It’s important for the public to monitor the storm and prepare for a possible tropical storm impacting our area,” Public Safety Director Jacob Saur said. “This will largely be a rain event but as the ground is already saturated, trees can easily topple from the winds produced by tropical storms in our area."

Related: Elsa Could Reach Hurricane Strength Before Landfall In Florida

County Administrator Dr. Scott Hopes declared a local state of emergency for Manatee County following recommendations from the public safety department and the governor’s State of Emergency. This will allow county staff to perform any emergency actions needed during the storm.

“Now is not the time to panic, but it’s time to finalize your storm preparations,” Hopes said. “Our residents know the area best and they should begin to make alternate plans now if they’re usually affected by storm surges or flooding.”

Manatee County Public Works Department will open a self-serve sandbag distribution site at the county’s stormwater facility at 5511 39 Street East in Bradenton.

Like what you're reading? Invite a friend to subscribe to free Bradenton newsletters and real-time email alerts.

County residents can begin making sandbags Sunday at noon. The site will remain open until 7 p.m. and reopen Monday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

There is a limit of 10 sandbags per household. Visit www.mymanatee.org/sandbags for more information.

MCAT users are encouraged to check the MCAT website for news about potential service interruptions in the early part of the week.

Although county offices are closed in observance of Independence Day, Manatee County’s 311 call center will be open Monday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. to field calls from the public about sandbag locations or storm preparedness questions.

Strong winds and storm surge are the top concerns for local officials, but there are no plans for shelter openings or evacuations at this time, the county said.

County residents should monitor the news and the county's social media pages on Facebook and Twitter for storm updates.

Residents can also text ManateeReady to 888-777 for the latest messages from Manatee County regarding any storm.

Stay tuned to Patch for updates on Tropical Storm Elsa. Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter. You can also have them delivered to your phone screen by downloading from iTunes, or by visiting the Google Play store.