Counties across Central Florida are opening shelters ahead of Hurricane Ian.
See a list of shelters available county-by-county below. This story will be updated as new information is announced.
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Orange County
Orange County will open emergency shelters on Wednesday. See the list of locations below:
- Apopka High School is still open as of Wednesday and will house general population and is pet friendly.
- Ocoee High School is still open as of Wednesday and will house general population, no pets.
- Dr. Phillips High School is still open as of Wednesday and will house general population, no pets.
- Oak Ridge High School shelter is no longer able to take in new evacuees.
- Timber Creek High School is still open as of Wednesday and will house general population and is pet friendly.
- Timber Springs Middle School opened at 5 p.m. on Wednesday and will house general population, not pets.
- Southwest Middle School opened at 5 p.m. on Wednesday and will house general population, no pets.
- Memorial Middle School opened Wednesday and will house general population, no pets.
For Orange County residents requiring a special needs/medical shelter please call 311.
Please click here for important information on what to bring with you to a shelter and get the latest information on more shelter openings in Orange County if needed.
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Lake County
Lake County will open eight emergency shelters for residents at 4 p.m. Tuesday. All locations are pet-friendly. Special needs shelters are notated with two asterisks (**). The locations of the shelters are:
** Villages Elementary — 695 Rolling Acres Road, Lady Lake
** Leesburg Elementary — 2229 South Street, Leesburg
** Umatilla Elementary — 401 Lake Street, Umatilla
** Lost Lake Elementary — 1901 Johns Lake Road, Clermont
** Astatula Elementary — 13925 Florida Avenue, Astatula
Treadway Elementary — 10619 Treadway School Rd, Leesburg
Spring Creek Charter — 44440 Spring Creek Rd, Paisley
Mascotte Charter — 460 Midway Ave, Mascotte (full)
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Brevard County
Brevard County will open three shelters at 10 a.m. Wednesday for residents who live in flood-prone or low-lying areas needing safe harbor from potentially dangerous wind and water conditions anticipated from Hurricane Ian.
The following shelters will be pet-friendly and available for our special needs and general population:
- Max K. Rodes Community Center, 3410 Flanagan Ave West Melbourne, FL 32904
- Walter Butler Community Center, 4201 N Cocoa Blvd, Cocoa, FL 32927
- Wickham Park Community Center, 2815 Leisure Way, Melbourne, FL 32935
Space Coast Area Transit will provide transportation to the shelters for registered special needs clients.
Although shelters will provide food, residents going to shelters will need to take their own supplies, including bedding, folding chairs, or sleeping bags; any needed medications; multiple changes of clothing and sturdy shoes; personal hygiene items; and entertainment items, like games, cards, books or magazines.
For more information about this and other Hurricane Ian questions, call the Community Information Hotline at 2-1-1.
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Marion County
Marion County will open multiple shelters hosted at local public schools at noon on Wednesday.
General population shelters include:
Dunnellon High — 10055 SW 180th Avenue Rd, Dunnellon, FL 34432
Belleview Middle — 10500 SE 36th Avenue, Belleview, FL 34420
Fort McCoy School — 16160 NE County Road 315, Fort McCoy, FL 32134
Hammett Bowen Jr. Elementary — 4397 SW 95th Street, Ocala, FL 34476
North Marion Middle — 2085 W County Road 329, Citra, FL 32113
Read: Hurricane Ian: School closures in Central Florida
Pet-friendly shelter:
Vanguard High — 7 NW 28th Street, Ocala, FL 34475
Emergency Management officials encourage citizens to bring supplies to the shelters to last them for 24-48 hours, such as clothing, bedding, medications, food, water, etc. If you are bringing your pet(s) to the pet-friendly shelter, they must be caged, and you will be required to provide recent immunization documentation. Please bring whatever supplies are needed for your pets to be self-sufficient, and please pick up after them as well.
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Osceola County
The Osceola County special needs shelter will open on Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the Council on Aging, located at 700 Generation Point, Kissimmee. Please remember that individuals staying at the special needs shelter should bring medicine and other vital supplies including oxygen or other electric medical devices. For more information, please call the Osceola County Special Needs hotline at 407-742-9001
Osceola County’s three general population shelters will open on Tuesday at 2 p.m. Those general population shelters are:
Celebration High School — 1809 Celebration Boulevard, Celebration, FL 34747
Kissimmee Middle School (pet-friendly) — 210 Dyer Boulevard, Kissimmee, FL 34741
Harmony High School — 3601 Arthur J Gallagher Boulevard, St Cloud, FL 34771
Narcoosee Middle School — 2700 N Narcoossee Rd, St Cloud, FL 34771
Liberty High School — 4250 Pleasant Hill Rd, Kissimmee, FL 34746
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Sumter County
Information about shelters can be found online here or by calling the Citizen Information Center at 352-689-4400. Shelters do not have cots, blankets or other supplies, so bring your own. Locations can change, so stay informed.
Sumter County general population shelters will open Tuesday at 5 p.m. at:
- Sumter Fairgrounds — 7620 SR 471. Webster, FL 33597
- Wildwood Elementary School — 300 Huey Street, Wildwood, FL 34785
There will also be a special needs shelter at the Wildwood Community Center, 6500 Powell Road, Wildwood, FL 34785. That shelter will open at 3 p.m.
Other general population shelters will open as needed.
The county said all shelters are pet-friendly, so do not leave your pet at home. If heading to a shelter, bring the following:
- Identification such as a driver’s license.
- Bedding (cot, air mattress, blanket, pillow).
- Food and water.
- Prescriptions.
- Extra baby food or formula.
- Toiletries (toothbrush and paste, body soap, etc.).
- Games or sources of entertainment.
- Please bring all necessary supplies for your pet.
Please do not bring:
- Weapons
- Illegal drugs
- Alcohol
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Volusia County
Volusia County Schools and Volusia County Government will open four shelters at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
General population shelters are:
- Mainland High School, 1255 W. International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach
- DeLand High School, 800 N. Hill Ave., DeLand
Special needs shelters are:
- Atlantic High School, 1259 Reed Canal Road, Port Orange
- Galaxy Middle School, 2400 Eustace Ave., Deltona
Necessary items include:
- Special dietary food, snacks or comfort food, water or other non-alcoholic beverages
- Bedding: pillow, blanket, etc. - general population shelters do not provide cots, so a comfortable beach chair and sleeping pad are recommended
- Ear plugs
- Extra clothing
- Medications and medical supplies
- Oxygen supplies or arrange with your oxygen company to deliver to the designated special needs oxygen shelter
- Toiletry items
- Flashlight and batteries
- Diapers, infant and elderly/disabled necessities
- Time occupiers such as books, magazines, games or cards
- Those staying at a shelter with their pets must bring necessary pet items and supplies.
Click here for more information.
Polk County
Polk County will open the following public shelters on Tuesday at noon:
- Horizons Elementary School — 1700 Forest Lake Dr, Davenport
- Sleepy Hill Elementary School — 2285 Sleepy Hill Rd, Lakeland
- R. Bruce Wagner Elementary School — 5500 Yates Rd, Lakeland
- Chain Of Lakes Elementary School — 7001 Hwy 653, Winter Haven
- Mulberry Middle School — 500 SE Martin Luther King Jr. Ave, Mulberry
- Spessard Holland Elementary — 2342 E.F. Griffin Rd, Bartow
- Auburndale High School — 1 Bloodhound Trail, Auburndale
- Citrus Ridge Academy — 1775 Sand Mine Rd, Davenport
- George Jenkins High School — 6000 Lakeland Highlands Rd, Lakeland
- Highlands Grove Elementary — 4510 Lakeland Highlands Rd, Lakeland
- Kathleen High School — 1100 Red Devil Way, Lakeland
- Lake Marion Creek Middle School — 3055 Lake Marion Creek Dr, Poinciana
- Winter Haven High School — 600 6th St SE, Winter Haven
Special needs shelters will also open at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, for those residents with special medical needs. Polk County Emergency Management’s Special Needs Program is designed to provide shelter and/or transportation for residents with medical or physical conditions and/or dependent on medical electrical equipment who require assistance during an emergency. The Special Needs shelters are located at:
- FDOH Polk Specialty Care Unit — 1255 Brice Blvd., Bartow
- McKeel Academy — 1810 W. Parker St., Lakeland
- Ridge Community High School — 500 Orchid Dr., Davenport
- The following pet-friendly shelters will open Tuesday at noon:
- Tenoroc High School — 4905 Saddle Creek Rd., Lakeland
- Lake Region High School — 1995 Thunder Road, Eagle Lake
- Haines City High School — 2800 Hornet Drive, Haines City
Pet owners must bring shot records for their pets, an airline-approved carrying case or crate, and pet food.
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