[springfield]

I woke up to news that there had been a tornado watch. Do we have sirens to warn us? Since we no longer have a basement, I started to think about what part of our house would be the safest. I don't think we would both fit in the tub, the shower has glass doors. Where would you go?

[memason]

We're from Illinois too.... No basements or sirens in TV. You need to get yourself a good NOAA weather radio, tuned to your county. If you need help tuning, the fire dept. can help.

If in Sumter county, you can register your telephone to receive Code Red Alerts, for which you will get tornado warnings, etc. We got a call this morning, about 4:30am, for the tornado warning.

As for cover, you should go to an interior room and away from any windows.

The link for the Code Red Alert is:

Sumter County Sheriff's Office ::: CODE RED

Cheers....

[bkcunningham1]

SUMTER COUNTY SHELTERS
Determine the safest place to stay if a hurricane threatens. If there is any question whether or not your home is safe, evacuate to the nearest designated shelter. KNOW WHERE THIS SHELTER IS LOCATED BEFORE A HURRICANE THREATENS. It is also a good to know if there are any alternative shelters in case of over-filling.

Please remember that a shelter should be used as a last resort; they are not for comfort. If you have friends or relatives you can stay with, you should choose that as your first option. If you live in a site built home, apartment, or condominium you should stay there unless you are in a flood prone area. Those in mobile homes should seek shelter with friends or family if possible before deciding to go to a shelter. There are no beds or comforts in shelters; they are desiged to shelter you from the storm for a short period of time only.

NOTE: None of the designated hurricane shelters in Sumter County accept pets. Please see the Pet Friendly Alternative Shelters listed below if you have pets.

NOTE: Shelter openings are determined by the Red Cross and the Sumter County Emergency Management Center, not the City of Wildwood. A notice will be placed on our home page when we are notified that the Wildwood Storm Shelter will be opened.



Wildwood Community Center/Storm Shelter
6500 CR 139
Wildwood, FL 34785
Pets: NO
Special Needs: NO
Capacity: 400

Wildwood Elementary School
300 East Huey Street
Wildwood, FL 34785
Pets: NO
Special Needs: NO
Capacity: 178

North Sumter Primary School
104 North Warfield Avenue
Wildwood, FL 34785
Pets: NO
Special Needs: NO
Capacity: 178

The Villages Middle School
450 Village Campus - CR 466
The Villages, FL 32162
Pets: NO
Special Needs: NO
Capacity: 200

The Villages High School
251 Buffalo Trail - CR 466
The Villages, FL 32162
Pets: NO
Special Needs: NO
Capacity: 250

Webster Elementary School
349 South Market Boulevard - SR 471
Webster, FL 33597
Pets: NO
Special Needs: NO
Capacity: 138

PET FRIENDLY ALTERNATIVE SHELTERS:

(Shelters that will accept evacuating persons with their animals)

Oxford Assembly of God
12114 N. US 301
Oxford, FL 34484
Pets: YES - MUST BE CRATED!
Special Needs: NO
Please call before evacuating to check opening times and availability
Phone: 352-748-6124

Lake Panasoffkee United Methodist Church
589 CR 470
Lake Panasoffkee, FL 33538
Pets: YES - MUST BE CRATED!
Special Needs: NO
Please call before evacuating to check opening times and availability
Phone: 352-793-3438

ALTERNATIVE SHELTERS:

(Alternative shelters are opened after designated shelters are filled to capacity.)

First Baptist Church of Oxford
4060 CR 108
Oxford, FL 34484
Pets: NO
Special Needs: NO
Capacity: 250

Wildwood High School
700 Huey Street
Wildwood, FL 34785
Pets: NO
Special Needs: NO
Capacity: 450

Wildwood Middle School
200 Cleveland Avenue
Wildwood, FL 34785
Pets: NO
Special Needs: NO
Capacity: 200

Bushnell Community Center
407 E. Belt Avenue
Corner of US Hwy. 301 and Belt Avenue
Bushnell, FL 33513
Pets: NO
Special Needs: NO
Capacity: 100

DAV Building
County Road 489
Lake Panasoffkee, FL 33538
Pets: NO
Special Needs: NO
Capacity: 200

Lake Panasoffkee Elementary School
790 CR 482 N.
Lake Panasoffkee, FL 33538
Pets: NO
Special Needs: NO
Capacity: 100

South Sumter High School
706 N. Main Street - SR 475
Bushnell, FL 33513
Pets: YES
Special Needs: NO
Capacity: 450

VFW Building
County Road 476-B
Nobleton, FL 34661
Pets: NO
Special Needs: NO
Capacity: 100

Bushnell Elementary School
218 West Flannery Avenue
Bushnell, FL 33513
Pets: NO
Special Needs: NO
Capacity: 125

First Baptist Church of Lake Panasoffkee
802 CR 470
Lake Panasoffkee, FL 33538
Pets: NO
Special Needs: NO
Capacity: 100

Croom Road Baptist Church
12016 CR 681
Webster, FL 33597
Pets: NO
Special Needs: NO
Capacity: 100

Gant Lake Baptist Church
1444 CR 478-A
Webster, FL 33597
Pets: NO
Special Needs: NO
Capacity: 140

Lake Panasoffkee United Methodist Church
589 CR 470
Lake Panasoffkee, FL 33538
Pets: ? CALL FIRST 352-748-6124
Special Needs: NO
Capacity: 100

South Sumter Middle School
773 NW 10th Avenue
Webster, FL 33597
Pets: NO
Special Needs: NO
Capacity: 250



SUMTER COUNTY SHELTERS - Emergency Management Info - The City of Wildwood, Florida

[bkcunningham1]

If a hurricane sets its sights on Central Florida, it is important Lake County residents know where they plan to shelter for the duration of the storm. Because of the destructive power and torrential rainfall of a hurricane, residents in a manufactured home or low-lying area should never ignore an evacuation order.

Lake County shelters are storm-hardened facilities. Evacuating residents should think twice about staying in “shelters” that are not designated by the American Red Cross and Emergency Management. Another option besides evacuating to a Lake County designated shelter is finding shelter with a friend or relative in a site-built home. While Lake County’s shelters are high on safety, residents may tend to find the comfort level more accommodating in a site-built home of a friend or relative.

A program administered by the Emergency Management Division is the Public-Shelter Registry. Any Lake County resident who may require transportation assistance to a shelter during a hurricane is encouraged to fill out a public-shelter registry form. The registry will help Emergency Management with identifying residents who may not have reliable transportation to a public shelter. View the Public-Shelter Registry Pamphlet to learn more about the program.

Lake County has eight primary shelters, and additional shelters are available if necessary. In most circumstances, the primary shelters will be the first to open. In addition to being general population risk shelters, all primary shelters are pet friendly and many serve those residents who have registered with the County’s special-needs program. All pets accepted by authorities at shelters must be crated and have documentation of up-to-date rabies vaccinations.

To register for the special-needs program or the public-shelter registry, call the Lake County Emergency Management Division at (352) 343-9420.

Public Shelter Register Form
Forma de Registro Para un Regugio Publico

Astatula Elementary, 13925 Florida Ave., Astatula
Leesburg Elementary, 2229 South St., Leesburg — special needs and pet friendly
Lost Lake Elementary, 1901 Johns Lake Road, Clermont — special needs and pet friendly
Mascotte Elementary, 460 Midway Ave., Mascotte
Round Lake Elementary, 31333 Round Lake Road, Mount Dora
Treadway Elementary, 10619 Treadway School Road, Leesburg
Umatilla Elementary, 401 Lake St., Umatilla — special needs and pet friendly
Villages Elementary, 695 Rolling Acres Road, Lady Lake — pet friendly

View interactive map with shelter locations



Where Lake County’s shelters are located and what to bring along - Lake County Hurricane Preparedness Web Guide

[bkcunningham1]

Marion County
Disaster Preparedness
Shelters and Pets

Most shelters will not allow pet owners to take their pets with them. If citizens have a cat or dog with up to date shots and a pet carrier, Marion County has a place for them to weather the storm. Vanguard High School serves as a pet-friendly shelter during an emergency.


When staying at the pet-friendly shelter, pet owners should bring everything their pet(s) will need to stay for several days: pet cage, water, food, dishes, litter, leash, collar, toys, familiar blanket or thick towel, pet first-aid kit and medications, pet identification (county license tag), and vet records. Birds may also stay at the shelter if they remain in their own cage.

Owners may spend time with pets before and after the storm and will be responsible for their animals care during those times. During the storm, pets will be secured in one building, and owners will stay in another; Animal Control and Animal Center professionals will keep pets safe during this time.

Exotic pets or livestock will not be accepted. If you need to arrange for safe housing for exotic pets or livestock, please contact your vet or local kennels. It is important to make reservations early space will be limited in the case of an emergency.

Vanguard High School is located at 7 N.W. 28th Street, Ocala, Florida, and can be reached by calling 352-671-4900.


MCBCC | Disaster | Shelters And Pets

[ssmith]

My husbands ex-boss was there when the tornado came though some years ago....no time to get anywhere but the closet in the master and then they barely made it there!

[janmcn]

Originally Posted by springfield

I woke up to news that there had been a tornado watch. Do we have sirens to warn us? Since we no longer have a basement, I started to think about what part of our house would be the safest. I don't think we would both fit in the tub, the shower has glass doors. Where would you go?

Having lived through the tornado that decimated my villa neighborhood in 2007, I can tell you I would go to the walk-in closet in the master bedroom.
I grabbed my dog and ran into the master bath, which in retrospect was not a good idea with all the glass that's in there. In the event of a tornado warning, I would stuff my closet with pillows, blankets, and comforters for protection.

[joycenemetz]

Thank you for posting this link! I just signed up!

[paulandjean]

Church

[Bill32]

We didn't get hit but after went to check out houses like ours ( Designer, block and stucco ). The area with the least damage was the walk in closet in the master bed room, against the outside wall.

[applesoffh]

Thanks for all the important information provided! We already have our "safe spot" chosen. Registered the phones with Sumter County Code Red but, when I got to the verification page, they didn't recognize my address, which is in the new area on the other side of 466A. This isn't very comforting, except for the fact that the Fire Department is right at the entrance to Sanibel on Morse Blvd.

[Pturner]

BK,
Thanks for the informative posts. That was great of you to take the time. Could even save someone's life.

[springfield]

I signed up for Code Red at the Sheriff's office and included our cell phone. The officer said we would only get a call if it was near not just a watch. I plugged in our weather radio and we have figured out where to go. Someone in a class this pm said she has a plastic tote with important papers like birth certificate, copies of insurance, driver's license etc and $200 in cash. She said if the electricity is out, atms wouldn't work. I hope none of us ever have to use this info. Thanks to all you posters with such good info!

[Sable99]

Great information. Thanks for taking the time to write it.

[njbchbum]

bkcunningham1 - thanx for that info - i'll keep it handy when we get back to the manufactured home!

until you posted the info, the only place i thought to go was to graciegirl's! figured she'd throw a hack of a party!