Seminole orders evacuation for residents in mobile homes, flood-prone areas or with special needs

Seminole County on Wednesday morning issued an emergency evacuation order for residents in mobile and manufactured homes, in flood zones and low-lying areas and those with special needs.

When asked, county officials would not clarify if the order was mandatory or voluntary.

Those areas in the county susceptible to flooding include within the Wekiva River Basin  — such as homes along the Little Wekiva River; Wekiva River in Altamonte Springs and Longwood; and along Gee Creek in Winter Springs.

Other areas that flood heavily include those along the St. Johns River, Lake Harney, Lake Jesup and Lake Monroe.

Hurricane Milton to slam Florida tonight as ‘devastating’ Category 4 storm

According to the National Weather Service, large portions of Seminole are forecast to receive more than 15 inches of rain through Saturday because of Hurricane Milton.

People evacuating are urged to remain outside danger areas “until this restriction is lifted,” according to the order signed by Alan Harris, Seminole’s director for the office of emergency management.

An initial alert Wednesday morning did not specify to which residents and areas the order applied, but officials later clarified that it is not countywide.