Central Florida counties have opened shelters ahead of Hurricane Ian.
Orange County
Orange County will open emergency shelters on Wednesday. See the list of locations below:
Apopka High School opens Wednesday at 8 a.m. and will house general population and is pet friendly.
Ocoee High School opens Wednesday at noon and will house general population, no pets.
Dr. Phillips High School opens Wednesday at noon and will house general population, no pets.
Oak Ridge High School opens Wednesday at noon and will house general population and is pet friendly
Timber Creek High School opens Wednesday at noon and will house general population and is pet friendly.
For Orange County residents requiring a special needs/medical shelter please call 311.
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.
Seminole County
The following Seminole County shelters open at 8:00 a.m. TODAY, Wednesday, September 28.
GENERAL POPULATION SHELTERS:
Lake Mary High School - 655 Longwood Lake Mary Rd, Lake Mary
Lawton Chiles Middle School - 1240 Sanctuary Dr, Oviedo
Lyman High School - 865 Ronald Reagan Blvd, Longwood - *PET FRIENDLY*
Midway Elementary School - 2368 Brisson Ave, Sanford
Winter Springs High School - 130 Tuskawilla Rd, Winter Springs - *PET FRIENDLY*
SPECIAL NEEDS/MEDICALLY-ENHANCED SHELTERS:
Bentley Elementary School - 2190 S Oregon Ave, Sanford - *PET FRIENDLY*
Layer Elementary School - 4201 FL-419, Winter Springs
Emergency shelters should be used as a last resort. Cots are not provided at General Population Shelters. For information on what to bring to a shelter or other updates, visit PrepareSeminole.org.
Brevard 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
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
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.
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. Individuals staying at the special needs shelter should bring medicine and other vital supplies including oxygen or other electric medical devices.
For more information, 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
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 has said that all shelters are pet-friendly. 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
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.