Hendry-Glades Prepares For Ernesto

LABELLE, FLORIDA -- A Local State of Emergency has been issued effective at 9:00 AM today for Hendry County. All Hendry County Government offices, Hendry County Schools, the City of LaBelle and the City of Clewiston and the Hendry County Health Department will be closed Wednesday, August 30, 2006, due to Tropical Storm Ernesto.The Emergency Operations Center will be fully activated at 5:00 PM today. Shelters and PSN shelters will open at 5:00 PM today. Primary shelters to open are Clewiston Middle School and LaBelle Middle School. The Pioneer Community Center will open at 5:00 PM as a comfort station. A voluntary evacuation notice is in effect for residents in low-lying flood prone areas. Anyone going to these shelters is asked to take their own three-day supply of food and other essentials. No pets are allowed in these shelters.

The Office of Emergency Management is continuing to monitor the storm. All Hendry County residents are urged to take due caution. The hurricane hotline has been activated. Residents may call 211 for additional information.

The National Weather Service 12 noon advisory is as follows:

OVER INTERIOR AND WESTERN SECTIONS OF SOUTH FLORIDA, TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WILL BEGIN SPREADING ACROSS MAINLAND MONROE COUNTY BETWEEN 6 AND 9 PM THIS EVENING, COLLIER AND HENDRY COUNTIES BETWEEN 10 PM AND 2 AM, AND GLADES COUNTY INCLUDING LAKE OKEECHOBEE MAINLY BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND 4 AM WEDNESDAY. WINDS WILL REACH STRONG TROPICAL STORM FORCE, 50 MPH OR GREATER WITH POSSIBLE GUSTS TO NEAR HURRICANE FORCE, AROUND SUNRISE WEDNESDAY AND CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE MORNING ON WEDNESDAY.

ON LAKE OKEECHOBEE, TROPICAL STORM FORCE WIND IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT WITH HURRICANE FORCE WIND GUSTS POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY. THE WINDS SHOULD BE DECREASING ACROSS THE LAKE WEDNESDAY EVENING. THE STRONGEST WINDS WITH ERNESTO WILL BE SIMILAR TO WHAT KATRINA PRODUCED ACROSS MAINLAND SOUTH FLORIDA LAST AUGUST, WITH SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS POWER OUTAGES EXPECTED OVER SOUTH FLORIDA. SUCH WINDS CAN CAUSE EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO MOBILE HOMES. SOME DAMAGE TO ROOFS, WINDOWS AND DOORS IS ALSO POSSIBLE.

...PROBABILITY OF HURRICANE/TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS... FACTORING IN UNCERTAINTIES IN THE FORECAST TRACK, INTENSITY, AND SIZE OF THE STORM, THE PROBABILITY OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE CONDITIONS, WIND IN EXCESS OF 39 MPH, RANGES FROM 80 TO 90 PERCENT OVER MIAMI-DADE AND BROWARD COUNTIES, 75 TO 80 PERCENT ELSEWHERE EAST AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM EVERGLADES CITY TO MOORE HAVEN TO LAKE OKEECHOBEE, AND 65 TO 75 PERCENT TO THE WEST OF A EVERGLADES CITY TO MOORE HAVEN LINE, INCLUDING NAPLES.

THE CHANCE THAT MAINLAND SOUTH FLORIDA WILL EXPERIENCE WIND IN EXCESS OF 58 MPH RANGES FROM 30 TO 40 PERCENT IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, 25 TO 35 PERCENT ELSEWHERE EAST OF A LINE FROM EVERGLADES CITY TO LABELLE TO WESTERN GLADES COUNTY, AND 20 TO 25 PERCENT OVER WESTERN COLLIER COUNTY INCLUDING NAPLES. THE CHANCE THAT MAINLAND SOUTH FLORIDA WILL EXPERIENCE HURRICANE FORCE SUSTAINED WIND, WIND IN EXCESS OF 73 MPH, IS AROUND 4 TO 7 PERCENT.