A little more than a month after Hurricane Ian caused unprecedented flooding and damage across the state, Central Florida is preparing for the potential threat of Tropical Storm Nicole.
The National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane watch for Florida’s east coast as the storm formed Monday morning in the Atlantic Ocean. Its current path is projected to bring the system toward the state as a hurricane by Wednesday evening. Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a State of Emergency for all counties in the potential path of the storm, including Orange and Seminole.
According to a statement from the City of Winter Park, the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is, “Currently at Level 3-Monitoring and is ready for activation pending conditions of the storm.”
As part of the preparation, residents can fill their own sandbags at Ward Park/Showalter Field parking lot, 288 Perth Lane, from 2-6 p.m. today (Nov. 7) and from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. tomorrow (Nov. 8). A limit of eight sandbags will be distributed to each Winter Park resident or business owner within the city limits, and proof of residency (driver’s license, valid ID or utility bill statement) is required.
Local water and wastewater systems were severely impacted by record-setting rain from Hurricane Ian, and over-saturation remains a problem. Residents are encouraged to limit water usage including toilet flushing, the length of showers and the amount of water used in bathtubs, and the use of dishwashers and clothes washers.
Residents are also asked to refrain from car washing, pressure washing, and irrigation.
The list of official city resources is as follows:
- Official Hurricane Guide – cityofwinterpark.org/emergency
- citEnews email service – cityofwinterpark.org/citEnews
- Facebook – facebook.com/WinterParkEmergencyInfo
- Twitter – twitter.com/WinterParkFla
- Nextdoor – sign up at nextdoor.com
- City’s emergency alert system – sign up at cityofwinterpark.org/outreach.
Other resources include:
- Non-emergency information line 407-599-3494 (live upon EOC activation)
- MessageCenter@cityofwinterpark.org (live upon EOC activation)
- Electric utility power outages 1-877-811-8700
- Water & wastewater utilities outages 407-599-3219
Additional information and advisories will be posted on the City of Winter Park website as the storm approaches.
