Hurricane Irma: What Pasco County Wants You To Know

NEW PORT RICHEY, FL — As Category 5 Hurricane Irma continues on a path that may result in a collision with Florida, Pasco County emergency managers are urging residents to prepare. The county had not issued evacuation orders or opened shelters as of Wednesday morning, but was asking residents to get ready for a “heavy rain, high wind event.”

As of the National Hurricane Center’s 8 a.m. Sept. 6 update, Irma was located 15 miles west of St. Martin and was moving west-northwest at 16 mph. The storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 185 mph with a projected path that could bring her to Florida by early next week. (For more hurricane news or local news from Florida, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from New Port Richey Patch, and click here to find your local Florida Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Watch: Another Powerful Hurricane Is Taking Aim At The US

Pasco County is asking residents to do the following things to prepare for the potential impacts Irma may have on the region:

• Download the MyPasco App from the Apple App store or Google Play
• Sign up for Alert Pasco smartphone notifications
• Check out the county’s emergency management website for information on evacuation zones, preparing a disaster kit and preparing for natural disasters
• Make sure there is a plan in place for family members and pets
• Secure any loose items around homes and yards
• Stockpile food, water, medications, batteries, flashlights and other essentials
• Take photos of contents in and around the home in case an insurance claim needs to be filed
• Residents in low-lying areas are being asked to monitor the storm closely and to consider evacuating, if necessary

The county’s customer service line is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Residents with questions may call 727-847-2411. The county has also opened sandbag locations. To find out more, check out this related story.

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Graphic courtesy of the National Hurricane Center