MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — As residents along the west coast of Florida prepared for Helene's effects, Manatee County employees began contacting residents with special needs to see if they needed help evacuating.
Counties around the state have a special needs registry and similar procedures to ensure those who need help evacuating get the help they need.
“It’s never too late and if you show up obviously to one of the shelters and it’s that 11th hour, we’re not going to turn you away," Manatee County Director of Public Safety Jodie Fiske said on Tuesday.
Late Tuesday afternoon, Manatee County issued a mandatory evacuation order for residents in evacuation zone A, effective 10 a.m. Wednesday.
The special needs registry is for anyone with cognitive impairment like Alzheimer’s or Dementia or who is dependent on electric devices or oxygen.
Operators with 311 and county library staff began contacting those already registered on Tuesday, confirming that all their information is up to date.
“They are putting them all on notice, and every single person who says, yes, they do need transportation, they are making those arrangements for transportation on the back end," Fiske said.
Those still needing to register can do so online at mymanatee.org/storm or if needed, can call 311 for help registering.
“Please take it seriously. Storm surge is deadly. We’re looking at five to eight feet of storm surge and five to eight feet of storm surge, that is nothing to mess around with. You can replace your belongings but you cannot replace your life," Fiske said.
HURRICANE RESOURCES
A state report says hundreds of frail elderly nursing home residents were stacked side by side, head to toe in a small church with no working air conditioning or refrigerator during Hurricane Helene.