Polk County opens shelters, sandbag sites on Tuesday

POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – On Monday, people waited in line for 4.5 hours at Loyce Harp Park in the south Lakeland/Mulberry area to get sandbags.

Chyann Betancourt saw the long line and decided on Tuesday, she would be one of the first in line.

Betancourt arrived at the park just after 5 a.m.

“Your house is a lot of money you’ve invested in. God forbid water comes in there and destroys it, how are you going to replace it? I have three kids I need to take care so for sure, I’d be here at 2 o’clock in the morning if I had to,” Betancourt said.

The sandbag sites are open from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Recipients will be given 10 sandbags each.

Sandbag site locations are:

Mulberry/South Lakeland – Loyce East Harpe Park, 500 West Carter Road, Mulberry
Lakeland – 8970 North Campbell Road, Lakeland
Fort Meade – 1061 NE 9th Street, Fort Meade
Frostproof – 350 County Road 630A, Frostproof
Auburndale – 1701 Holt Road, Auburndale
Dundee – 805 Dr. Martin Luther King St. SW, Dundee
Poinciana Park – 5109 Allegheny Road, Kissimmee 34759

You will need to bring a driver’s license to show your local address.

“Low-lying areas will flood. Potentially it will flood roads. There’s no way to know if there’s water over a roadway, you don’t know if it’s been washed out. You don’t know if it’s safe so do not drive through water,” said Paul Womble, Polk County emergency management director Monday afternoon .

According to Womble, the forecast is calling for 5-10 inches of rain in Polk County.

Areas that receive ten inches could see lakes rise, with specific concern for the Peace River basin in Bartow.

“Polk County will be impacted by this storm. The Hurricane Center tells us this will be an unprecedented historic impact to the Tampa Bay region,” Womble said.

Womble said residents should expect power outages due to the strong, 75+ mile per hour winds.

Polk County is opening 19 shelters starting Tuesday morning.

“Our shelters should be your last choice. If you are in a mobile home, a manufactured home, an RV, a camper, some kind of structure that may not survive high winds, plan a should be a friend, a daily member, somebody from church that does not have to leave their home and make a plan and stay with them,” Womble said.

The following public shelters will be open at noon on Tuesday, Oct. 8:
– Auburndale High School, 1 Bloodhound Trail, Auburndale
– Spessard Holland Elementary School, 2432 E.F. Griffin Road, Bartow
– Citrus Ridge Academy, 1775 Sand Mine Road, Davenport
– Horizons Elementary School, 1700 Forest Lake Drive, Davenport
– George Jenkins High School, 6000 Lakeland Highlands Road, Lakeland
– Highlands Grove Elementary, 4510 Lakeland Highlands Road, Lakeland
– Kathleen High School, 1100 Red Devil Way, Lakeland
– R. Bruce Wagner Elementary School, 5500 Yates Road, Lakeland
– Sleepy Hill Elementary School, 2285 Sleepy Hill Road, Lakeland
– Mulberry Middle School, 500 S.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, Mulberry
– Lake Marion Creek Middle School, 3055 Lake Marion Creek Drive, Poinciana
– Chain of Lakes Elementary School, 7001 Highway. 653, Winter Haven
– Winter Haven High School, 600 6th Street S.E., Winter Haven

Three pet-friendly shelters will also open at noon on Tuesday, Oct. 8. They are located at:
– Haines City High School, 2800 Hornet Drive, Haines City
– Lake Region High School, 1995 Thunder Road, Eagle Lake
– Tenoroc High School, 4905 Saddle Creek Road, Lakeland.

Pet owners must bring shot records for their pets, an airline-approved carrying case or crate, and pet food.

Special Needs shelters will also open at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 8, for those residents with special and/or medical needs. Special needs shelters are temporary emergency facilities capable of providing care to residents whose medical condition(s) may require the use of electrical equipment, oxygen, or dialysis, or individuals with physical, cognitive, or medical conditions who may require assistance from medical professionals. Although special needs shelters provide more care than general shelters, they do not provide the level of care found in a medical facility.

The Special Needs shelters are located at:

– FDOH Polk Specialty Care Unit, 1255 Brice Boulevard, Bartow
– Ridge Community High School, 500 West Orchid Drive, Davenport
– McKeel Academy, 1810 West Parker Street, Lakeland

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