St. Lucie County - Wednesday September 28, 2022: St. Lucie County’s Emergency Management Division is working with community partners to provide transportation to area shelters today before Hurricane Ian’s arrival.
Residents seeking transportation to the General Population Shelters can call 772-460-HELP (4357) today from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. (weather permitting).
Residents that need transportation to the Special Needs Shelter (Havert L. Fenn Center) can call 772-462-1778 and press 1 for reservations from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. (weather permitting).
The following shelters will open in St. Lucie County at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 28:
- Special Needs Shelter: Havert L. Fenn, 2000 Virginia Ave, Fort Pierce, Fla. 34982;
- Pet-Friendly Shelter: Fort Pierce Westwood Academy, 1801 Panther Lane, Fort Pierce, Fla. 34947;
- General Population Shelter: Fort Pierce Central High School, 4101 S 25th St., Fort Pierce, Fla. 34981.
There are currently no recommended evacuations for St. Lucie County at this time. However, in an abundance of caution, St. Lucie County’s Emergency Management Team is opening shelters for those living in manufactured homes and low-lying areas that are prone to flooding.
Hurricane Ian is projected to make landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast near Sarasota Wednesday, Sept. 28 afternoon as a Category 3 or 4 storm. The Treasure Coast could begin to experience tropical force winds by early afternoon, followed by heavy rain fall through Thursday, Sept. 29, depending on the speed of the storm.
St. Lucie County declared a Local State of Emergency at 9 a.m. on Sept. 27. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a State of Emergency for all 67 counties on Saturday, Sept. 24.
St. Lucie County Emergency Operations Center is operating at a Level 2 (partial) activation. If residents have questions or concerns, they can call the St. Lucie County Public Information Lines at 772-460-4357 or 772-460-HELP, which are open beginning today from noon to 7 p.m. and the rest of the week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (These hours are subject to change depending on the storm’s path).
The potential for heavy rains and flash flooding will be in effect for the next several days. Residents can report flooding by emailing details, including street addresses and images, to flooding@stlucieco.org. If there is emergency, life-threatening flooding, please call 911. Residents are reminded to avoid driving and/or walking down flooded streets.
St. Lucie County shelters are being open in cooperation with St. Lucie Public Schools, the Florida Department of Health – St. Lucie, the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office and the St. Lucie County Fire District.
St. Lucie County has additional storm-related information available at www.readystlucie.org as well as our social media channels @StLucieGov.