Sarasota County officials are hitting the streets today to start their damage assessments as Hurricane Irma pushed off to our north. Emergency management staff is urging residents to stay off the roads and keep sheltering in place until they issue an all-clear.
According to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, crews began heading out late Sunday night throughout the county. Their first priority was to clear away major intersections and highways as well as roads leading to hospitals and fire stations. Emergency management chief Ed McCrane told the Herald-Tribune that the damage is a bit better than expected, saying the county “got somewhere in the middle of the worst-case and best-case scenario.”
School shelters are expected to close by this afternoon. As of this morning, more than half the county remained without power. Barrier islands, including Siesta Key, Lido Key and Casey Key, remain closed to residents. Police continue to block off bridges- the only people getting through will be first responders and “infrastructure employees.”
All Sarasota and Charlotte County schools will remain closed through tomorrow. There’s no word yet on if schools will reopen on Wednesday. Governor Rick Scott ordered all Florida schools closed today, but will leave it up to individual districts on when to reopen.