Okeechobee County opens hurricane shelters

• Okeechobee County emergency officials are monitoring Hurricane Ian. Okeechobee County is currently under a Hurricane Warning. Residents should be prepared for severe weather in the next 24-48 hours. The Emergency Operations Center is currently at Activation Level 2: Partial Activation.

• Anticipated conditions include an 82% chance of Tropical Storm Force conditions and an 11% chance of Hurricane conditions. Hurricane gusts are likely to be noted in our area. The county is also expecting 6-8 inches of rain with up to 12 inches in some areas.

• Two Shelters will be opening on Wednesday, Sept. 28.
-- A Special Needs Shelter will open at the Department of Health at 8 a.m. located at 1700 NW 9th Avenue. Registration is required at https://snr.flhealthresponse.com/

-- A General Population and Pet Friendly shelter will open at South Elementary at 10: a.m. located at 2468 SW 7th Avenue. Pets are required to be registered with the County and provide a crate, up to date shot records, food for at least 3-5 days, water for the animal and a litter box if the pet is a cat.

• Waste Management has stopped collections for the week.

• An information line is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. by calling 863-824-6888.
• Closures:

o Okeechobee County Office Buildings: Wednesday (9/28/22)
o Okeechobee County Sheriff Administration: Wednesday – Friday (9/28/22-9/30/33)
o Okeechobee Courthouse: Wednesday – Thursday (9/28/22-9/29/22)