CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. – The Citrus County Board of County Commissioners has issued a MANDATORY EVACUATION for Zone A. This zone includes all low-lying areas west of U.S. Highway 19 and some areas additional areas east of U.S. Highway 19.
All other areas are advised to voluntary evacuate, especially those citizens living in mobile homes, manufactured homes, and recreational vehicles throughout the county.
Citizens may view our county’s evacuation zones here to determine if they are in this mandatory evacuation.
Shelters will be OPENING today at 6 p.m., at the following locations (PLEASE NOTE THAT NOT ALL LOCATIONS ARE OPEN, ONLY THOSE LISTED BELOW):
- Forest Ridge Elementary School (Special Needs) – 2927 North Forest Ridge Blvd., Hernando, FL 34442
- Lecanto Primary (Pet Friendly) – 3790 W Educational Path, Lecanto, FL 34461
- Central Ridge Elementary School (General Population) – 185 West Citrus Springs Blvd., Citrus Springs, FL 34434
- Citrus High School (General Population) – 600 West Highland Blvd., Inverness, FL 34452
Public shelters should be an option of last resort. Citizens should make all preparations to shelter with family or friends and exhaust all other options before utilizing a public shelter.
Sexual Offenders must report to the Citrus County Detention Facility to seek shelter if needed. The facility is located at 2604 W Woodland Ridge Dr., Lecanto, FL 34461.
What to bring to the shelter:
– A 72-hour supply of all required medications
– All medical equipment and supplies (oxygen tanks, etc.) required for those with special needs
– Personal information (Identification with photo)
– Any special dietary needs or food (must be non-perishable)
-Extra batteries or an external power supply for electronic devices
The Citrus County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Operations Center is currently at a partial activation and will be moving to a full activation tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. The possible impacts of Hurricane Ian on our county are significant.
“At the moment, the goal of the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management team is to preserve life and mitigate any sort of vulnerability our county may experience by disasters like Hurricane Ian,” said Citrus County.
Please continue to take this weather event seriously and take the time now to get last-minute essential supplies.
Full-service sandbag locations remain open today from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., they are as follows:
- 4508 S. Grandmarch Ave. in Homosassa, near Grover Cleveland Boulevard
- 7490 W Gulf to Lake Hwy, in Crystal River, on the opposite side of the road from Dan’s Clam Stand
In addition, two self-serve sandbags sites are open at:
- Bicentennial Park, 501 N Baseball Point, Crystal River
- Floral Park, 9530 S Parkside Ave, Floral City
For more information on sandbag sites, please call 352-527-7610.
Ian’s track remains unchanged, per the National Weather Services’ briefing. We can expect the earliest possible arrival of winds tomorrow night, and storm arrival early Wednesday morning. Ian is currently forecasted to become a category four hurricane and Citrus should see tropical storm sustained winds and the possibility of an intense storm surge and heavy rainfall.
Our Citizen Information Lines (CIL) are open from 8 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. today. Citizens can call (352)249-2775 for information regarding Hurricane Ian and what they can do to prepare.
Citrus County Schools have extended their closure and will be closed Wednesday, September 28th, and Friday, September 30th. After-school programs and extra-curricular activities are canceled during this time as well.
At this time, all county government buildings will be closed Wednesday, September 28th, through Thursday, September 29th. This includes the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office main operations building in Inverness, substations in Crystal River and Beverly Hills. The Tax Collectors Office and the Department of Health will be closed (Wed. & Thurs.).