Manatee County to distribute sandbags at three area locations today, Oct. 9

Manatee County to distribute sandbags at three area locations today, Oct. 9
Posted on 10/08/2018

Manatee County residents may pick up sandbags at G.T. Bray Park, Bennett Park and Bradenton Area Convention Center from 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.

MANATEE COUNTY, FL (Oct. 8, 2018) — Manatee County could receive strong gusts and up to four feet in storm surge from Hurricane Michael this week, prompting Manatee County Public Works crews to make sandbags available for residents on Tuesday, Oct. 9 at three locations around the county.

Manatee County residents may pick up sandbags from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. tomorrow, Tuesday, Oct. 9 at the following locations: 

  • G.T. Bray Park, 5502 33rd Ave. Dr. W., Bradenton
  • Bennett Park, 400 Cypress Creek Blvd.
  • Bradenton Area Convention Center, 1 Haben Blvd.

Residents (ID required) are allowed to fill ten bags per household.

As of 2 p.m., Monday Oct. 8 residents in northern parts of Manatee County are under a tropical storm watch, and Michael is projected to deliver up to 4 inches of rainfall and a storm surge of up to 4 feet according to acting Emergency Management Chief Steve Litschauer. Beachgoers should be aware of dangerous rip currents and high surf. Swimming and surfing are not advised.

There are no plans to open local shelters or to declare a local state of emergency, Litschauer said today. He will deliver an update to County Commissioners at a regularly scheduled meeting tomorrow at 9 a.m. The meeting will be held in the first floor chambers of Manatee County Administrative Center, 1112 Manatee Ave. W. The meeting will also air live on www.mymanatee.org/mga

"As always, we're advising people to avoid driving through water if there's standing water on local roads," Litschauer said. "People can act over the next day to secure lanai furniture and any valuables they have outdoors. We expect Hurricane Michael to deliver strong winds in the area, so the time to prepare is right now." 

Litschauer said residents should monitor the news and the County's social media pages for Michael updates. Follow Manatee County Emergency Management at www.facebook.com/ManateeCountyEmergencyManagement and on Twitter @MCGPublicSafety.

For more information on Manatee County Government, visit www.mymanatee.org or call (941) 748-4501. You can also follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/manatee.county.fl and on Twitter, @ManateeGov.