About 147,000 residents and visitors have been asked to evacuate Manatee County due to the impending threat of a life-threatening storm surge. Chief of Emergency Management Matt Myers reported that there has been significant movement in response to the evacuation orders.
The county, located on the south side of Tampa Bay, is facing the possibility of being hit by more than 10 feet of storm surge, which poses a severe risk to the area.
As of late Wednesday morning, approximately 6,000 individuals have sought refuge in Manatee County's emergency shelters. Myers reassured the public that there is still available space in the shelters and encouraged more people to evacuate to safety.
Expressing optimism about the evacuation efforts, Myers stated, 'We have plenty of capacity, so we’re expecting to see that increase. So that gives us hope that people are heeding this warning and getting out of that dangerous area.'
However, with time running out, Myers emphasized the urgency of the situation, urging individuals to reach a shelter or standby location no later than 1 p.m. ET to ensure their safety.
