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Dorian Makes Much-Anticipated Turn North, Officials Issue Evacuations & Open Shelters

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Hurricane Dorian stalled north of Grand Bahama island on Monday evening, but it has begun to make much-anticipated turn to the west-northwest. The National Hurricane Center’s forecast track for Dorian has been nudged a bit more to the east.

This post will be updated periodically throughout Monday with the latest information.

Hurricane Dorian has stalled out, as it is barely moving. However, it has begun its turn to the west-northwest. Maximum sustained winds were up to 145 mph and the minimum central pressure was at 940 mb, according to the 5 p.m. update from the National Hurricane Center.

Forecast Update:

5 p.m. Update

Major Hurricane Dorian has stalled out just north of the Grand Bahama Island where it continues to weaken. Rain bands are producing tropical storm forced winds for much of southern Florida. It is soon expected to track northwards and move parallel to the coast until Thursday. The majority of the cone of uncertainty now does not include Florida.

WIND: Strong tropical storm force winds between 40 and 55 mph are possible in Indian River County by tonight, and then across Brevard and coastal Volusia Counties Tuesday through Tuesday night. Tropical storm force wind gusts are also possible in and around the Orlando metro area Tuesday and Tuesday night, although there is still some uncertainty how far inland these wind speeds will reach.

RAIN: Rainfall amounts from Dorian are likely are likely to range from 4 to 6 inches near and east of the I-95 corridor, with localized amounts near 10 inches near the coast. Rainfall amounts of 2 to 5 inches are expected across inland to the Florida Turnpike, with lesser amounts farther west.

TORNADOES: A tornado or two is possible from the outer rain squalls from Dorian at any time Tuesday through Wednesday night. Chances of this occurring are highest near the Atlantic Coast, where water spouts are also possible.

SURGE (COASTAL AREAS): A storm surge of 4 to 7 feet above ground is possible in surge prone areas near the Atlantic Coast. The combination of surge and high astronomical tides will cause severe runup of waves and water, resulting in inundation of many coastal locations. There will also be numerous strong rip currents in addition to the very large breaking waves, which will build in excess of 10 feet.

Hurricane warnings posted for portions of Florida’s Atlantic coast

There are changes in watches or warnings after the latest NHC advisory issued at 5 p.m.

A hurricane watch was extended to the Florida-Georgia border Sunday night as Dorian continued to move slowly west across the Bahamas.

National Hurricane Center forecasters said Dorian remains an incredibly powerful hurricane. They expect it to slow down even more or perhaps stall before making a turn to the northwest late Monday or early Tuesday. The timing of the turn will determine how close Dorian comes to the Florida peninsula Tuesday and Wednesday.

Hurricane Warnings have been posted by the NHC for the Atlantic coast from Jupiter Inlet to the Volusia/Brevard County line and a tropical storm warning is in effect from north of Deerfield Beach to Jupiter Inlet.

Tropical storm watches are in effect for Orange, Seminole and Volusia Counties.

Governor says hospitals, nursing homes need to keep state updated

Governor Ron DeSantis said 72 nursing homes and assisted living facilities have been evacuated before Hurricane Dorian.

Some Florida hospitals have been evacuated.

“These include Advent Health in New Smyrna Beach in Volusia County, Cape Canaveral in Brevard, Cleveland Clinic South in Martin County, Port St. Lucy Hospital, Good Samaritan Medical Center in Palm Beach, Stewart Sebastian River Medical Center in Indian River, and Halifax Psychiatric Center North in Volusia,” DeSantis said.

The governor asked healthcare workers to keep updating emergency information into the state’s system.

“If you’re involved with the healthcare facility, continue inputting your emergency updates into our emergency status system. It includes generator, utility information evacuation status, emergency contact,” he said.

Mandatory evacuations ordered along the Space Coast

Mandatory evacuations began this morning in Brevard and Volusia counties.

Brevard County

In Brevard, residents who live on the barrier islands from Kennedy Space Center to the southern beaches should evacuate. And in Merritt Island, people in low-lying areas, in mobile homes and people with special medical needs should evacuate.

Brevard County shelter locations:

Pet-Friendly:


  • Port St. John Community Center, 6650 Corto Road, Port St. John
  • Viera Regional Community Center, 2300 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Viera
  • Wickham Park Community Center, 2815 Leisure Way, Melbourne
  • Ted Whitlock Community Center at Fred Poppe Regional Park, 1951 Malabar Rd NW, Palm Bay.

General Population:


  • Apollo Elementary School, 3085 Knox McRae Dr., Titusville
  • Walter Butler Community Center at Bernice Jackson Park, 4201 US Highway 1, Cocoa
  • Manatee Elementary School, 3425 Viera Blvd., Viera
  • Sherwood Elementary School, 2541 Post Road, Melbourne
  • Bayside High School, 1901 DeGroodt Rd. S.W. Palm Bay<
  • South Mainland Community Center, 3700 Allen Ave., Micco.
  • Special Needs locations, please call 211

Volusia County

For Volusia County, mandatory evacuations began at 10 a.m. for residents who live beachside and in low-lying areas and mobile homes.

Volusia county has opened 6 special needs shelters for those with disabilities or functional medical needs.  The shelters are located at Volusia county public schools.

"We would encourage those seeking special needs shelters to get in there earlier so we make sure we have space, especially for those that are electric dependent," said Volusia County health department's Patricia Bowell.

Special needs clients should bring their own medications, special dietary food items, durable medical equipment, equipment to assist with mobility, and personal items. They should also bring their oxygen tank or concentrator. Caregivers should bring personal items or medications

General Shelters:


  • T. Dewitt Taylor Middle-High School, 100 E. Washington Ave., Pierson
  • DeLand High School, 800 N. Hill Road, DeLand
  • University High School, 1000 W. Rhode Island Ave., Orange City
  • Mainland High School, 1255 W. International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach
  • Sweetwater Elementary School, 5800 Victoria Gardens Blvd., Port Orange

Pet Friendly Shelters (provide housing for people and pets in separate locations at the shelter)


  • Hinson Middle,1860 N. Clyde Morris Blvd., Daytona Beach
  • Pine Ridge High, 925 Howland Blvd., Deltona
  • River Springs Middle, 900 W. Ohio Ave., Orange City

People & pet shelter


  • Volusia County Fairgrounds, 3150 W. State Road 44, DeLand

Special needs shelter (assist evacuees with disabilities or functional medical needs. They are pet friendly. Evacuees and their service animals will remain in the same location)


  • Atlantic High School, 1250 Reed Canal Road, Port Orange
  • Creekside Middle School, 6801 Airport Road, Port Orange
  • Freedom Elementary School, 1395 S. Blue Lake Ave., DeLand
  • Galaxy Middle School, 2400 Eustace Ave, Deltona
  • Palm Terrace Elementary School, 1825 Dunn Ave., Daytona Beach
  • Pride Elementary School, 1100 Learning Lane, Deltona

Volusia County has a curfew beginning Tuesday, September 3 at 6 p.m. through Wednesday, September 4 at 6 a.m.

Osceola County

Osceola County has issued voluntary evacuations of low lying areas and manufactured and mobile homes. A mandatory evacuation of Good Samaritan Village in Kissimmee has been ordered. The county has a curfew in place beginning Sept 3 at 11 p.m. until at least 6 a.m.

Check here for a full list of mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders, as well as curfew information.

Tolls

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has suspended tolls, including on I-95, State Road 417, State Road 528 and the turnpike. The Central Florida Expressway Authority has also suspended tolls and will open the shoulders if need be.

He’s also closed some ports ahead of the storm.

“Miami, Everglades, Fort Pierce, Palm Beach, and Port Canaveral," DeSantis said.

Brevard County residents can call 211 if they need to schedule a ride to a shelter. Orange County residents who need a ride can call 311.

Volusia's info is below:

Uber is also offering free rides, up to $20, to and from state-approved shelters.

Statewide, 101 shelters have been opened as of early afternoon, including 23 special needs shelters. More than 4,800 people are in shelters, including about 200 people in special needs shelters. Check here for a map of open shelters for Hurricane Dorian.

School closure get extended as Dorian slows down

All K-12 public schools, colleges and universities will be closed Tuesday because of Hurricane Dorian.

But some schools have longer closures planned. Brevard, Lake and Orange County Public Schools will also close schools on Wednesday.

Volusia County public schools are closed through Thursday.

In terms of higher education, Lake-Sumter State College, Seminole State College will remain closed through Wednesday.

All of University of Central Florida's campuses will remain closed through Thursday. It will continue to track the storm in deciding when to reopen. The school’s tuition and fee payment deadline is extended to next Friday, September 13th.

UCF Director of Communications Courtney Gilmartin addressed the scope of students who will be riding out the storm on campus. “About 1,200 students have indicated that they’ll be riding out the storm at the Education Building or in their residence hall,” she said.

Stetson University plans to close its Deland and Celebration campuses.

Rollins College is closed through Wednesday.

Full Sail University plans to remain closed through Wednesday. All students were asked to remain off-campus. They plan to resume full operations 9 a.m. on Thursday.

Florida Institute of Technology has announced that its Melbourne campus is closed Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Faculty and staff are requested to return on Thursday.

Seminole State College will stay closed until at least Wednesday.

Daytona State College remains closed until further notice.

Check here for a full list of school closures from the Florida Department of Education.

Airport closures depend on locations

Orlando International Airport has announced it will have normal operations Monday. Its Emergency Operations Center will continue monitoring the storm to make changes as needed.

Sanford International Airport will also remain open Monday, although all Allegiant flights have been canceled.

Daytona Beach International Airport will close at 6 p.m. tonight. That means rental cars cannot be returned as well.

Orlando Melbourne International Airport in Brevard closed its terminal at noon. That means it will suspend commercial flights; Delta Airlines and American Airlines suspended flights earlier.

For flight and rental car changes, people should contact individual airlines and rental car companies. Officials stress that airports are shelters.

Tips on how to stay safe during and after a hurricane

The Florida Department of Health says that parents should take their children’s feelings into consideration when talking to them about Hurricane Dorian.

DOH said children have three big fears during a disaster: That they will be separated from family or be left alone, that someone will get hurt or killed and that the event will happen again.

Experts said it’s important to be honest with children but also manageable when describing the possible effects of the storm. The state says hurricane kits should include two of your child’s favorite toys, favorite blankets or pillows and pictures of family and pets. Parents should also keep medications and a copy of immunization records on hand, especially the date of the last tetanus-diphtheria shot.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says parents should reassure children that adults and other helpers are working to keep them safe and that the family circle is strong. Keep an eye on adolescents, who can be hit hardest during events, don’t let children be overexposed to media of an event.

Central Floridians could lose power as a result of Hurricane Dorian. In order to avoid food poisoning, don’t eat foods that are normally kept cold unless they’ve stayed at about 41 degrees or lower.

Even if meat and eggs have been properly refrigerated, cook them to a minimum temperature of 145 degrees for about 15 seconds. All leftovers should be kept cool or thrown away.

People who cook or handle food should wear gloves or frequently wash hands after touching raw or prepared food to avoid contamination. The CDC advises people to seek medical attention for severe food poisoning if they have symptoms like bloody stools, a fever higher than 102, and frequent vomiting or diarrhea that doesn't go away after three days.
Danielle Prieur, Abe Aboraya, Brendan Byrne, Nicole Darden-Creston and Melissa Woodford contributed to this report.