County officials: Tropical Storm Laura has moved west, but monitor closely for changes

County officials: Tropical Storm Laura has moved west, but monitor closely for changes
Posted on 08/22/2020

MANATEE COUNTY, FL (Aug. 22, 2020) – As Tropical Storm Laura tracked further to the west and northwest overnight, Manatee County officials this morning decided there is no longer a need to declare a local state of emergency. Manatee County residents can expect some higher tides and potentially rip currents on Monday, but local forecasts for rain have dropped from 5 inches down to one or one-half inch on Monday.

Today's scheduled meeting with the County Commission has been cancelled.

"We are more confident in the storm’s track and that it will not produce enough effects for us to call for a local state of emergency," said Public Safety Director Jacob Saur. "As long as the storm's current track remains unchanged, western Florida will be away from the highest threats. There’s still a potential for heavy rain from outer bands so residents should monitor forecasts regularly."

"There are no hurricane watches or for Manatee County at this time," said Emergency Management Chief Steve Litschauer. "There could be some heavy rain, but the threat is much less severe for our area."

Public Works made sandbags available for the public today at 8 a.m. at the Rubonia Community Center and the Myakka City Community Center. The self-service stations will also be open tomorrow, Aug 23 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The Rubonia Community Center is located at 1309 72nd Street E., Palmetto. The Myakka City Community Center is located at 10060 Wauchula Road, Myakka City. Residents can find more information on sandbags at www.mymanatee.org/sandbags

County residents should monitor the news and the County's social media pages for updates. Residents can text ManateeReady to 888-777 for the latest messages from Manatee County regarding any storm or COVID-19.

Manatee County’s new 311 call center will field calls from the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today only.