The Lake Sarasota Community Blog

Our regular quarterly community meeting was held in Hina Point Park Thursday, 9.14.17. A quick summary: Key points: Hurricane Relief : Alliance Church is offering AC and showers to people without electricity. The church is on the north side of Bee Ridge opposite Chaucer. Purse : LSCG has the grand sum of $273 in its treasury. Yard Sale: The Fall Community Garage Sale is set for November 11, 8 am to 2 pm. The sale will be advertised in the newspaper one time. No maps. Feel free to put out your own signs, just remember to pick them up. Also feel free to post ads on Craigslist. Items you do not need that could be sold to raise $ for the community can be dropped off at Keith and Sommer's - 4032 Westminster. Fall Fest: The community Fall festival date is Sat. Nov. 18 in Lakeview Park, 11 am to 2 pm. Bring food, games. A sign-up message will be circulated via email or text. A planning meeting for the Fall Festival will be held on Oct. 12 - stay tuned for time, place....

Update: County Emergency Management has a new Web Page about Irma with good info about Shelters and more. National Hurricane Center Tracking  IRMA Maps - downloadable PDFs: Hurricane Preparation Guide   Sarasota County Shelters and Evacuation Routes  (pet shelters as designated)  Checklist of things to stock up on  Web Pages: Online Map showing shelter locations IRMA - Stay Informed What to bring to Shelters Manatee County Shelters Code Red - Sarasota Weather Warning  Sarasota County Emergency Services Sandbags: They are still giving out sandags today and tomorrow. 10 per household. The county’s three sandbag locations open at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday and will stay open until 6 p.m . They also be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday. There is a 10 bag limit per person. Identification is not required. The locations where sandbags are being offered are as follows:  Newtown Estates Park, 2800 Newtown Blvd.  Twin...

More reason this morning to keep an eye on Matthew - National Hurricane Center : Interests elsewhere in Hispaniola and in the Florida Peninsula and the Florida Keys should monitor the progress of Matthew. Tropical storm and/or hurricane watches are likely for portions of the Florida peninsula and Florida Keys later this morning. Public advisory.

From Sarasota County's Emergency Center: Good Morning—we are continuing to monitor the movement of Disturbance #36 as it moves across the Atlantic. Here is the latest information we have and forecast tracks. Enjoy your week! Disturbance 36 s roughly near 9.3N, 45W. It is moving to the west near 25 mph. There is a 70 percent chance of the system developing into a tropical storm prior to reaching the Windward Islands on Wednesday. There is a 90 percent chance of development upon entering the Caribbean Sea. Tropical storm force winds are likely to occur along and near where the center moves across the Windward Islands. Confidence in the track of Disturbance 36 decreases beyond 5 days.

Heavy rains are anticipated Monday possibly accompanied by strong winds. It's that time of year - a few useful links. National Hurricane Center Sarasota County Evacuation Shelters More Weather Links Sarasota County Home Page From Sarasota County's Emergency Center : All Hazards - Be Prepared Currently selected Know Your Evacuation Zone Shelter Locations Documents, Forms and Plans __________ Get Your Family Prepared Disaster Kits & Plans Family Preparation Senior Citizen Preparation Home and Family Fire Preparation House & Mobile Home Preparation __________ People with Special Needs People with Special Needs __________ Get Your Business Prepared Business Preparation Healthcare Facility Emergency Plans __________ Emergency Medical Services Fire Department Lifeguard Operations Local Mitigation Strategy Public Safety Communications __________ Links of Interest Contact Center Emergency Links Emergency Management Speakers Bur...

A good disaster preparedness plan provides a margin of safety protecting you, your family and your neighbors. Having a disaster plan improves your communities’ ability to recover. County Preparedness Info here . Shelter locations . Evacuation map .

Greetings! Welcome to Sarasota County Community Connections.  If you have questions, ideas for articles, or feedback on the system, contact us at  communityconnections@scgov. net.     Community cleanup set for  June 22 SATURDAY :  Sarasota County will hold its annual free community cleanup in the area of Proctor and Wilkinson roads from  8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 22 . Free HIV testing offered Free HIV testing will be available in Sarasota and Charlotte counties  June 22-28  as part of the 19th annual National HIV Testing Day observance . Beach lifeguard hours extended Sarasota County's Beach Lifeguard operational hours have been extended on all guarded beaches from  10 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. daily . County speakers available to address hurricane preparedness Sarasota County's Speakers Bureau is accepting requests over the summer for public safety experts to present hurricane preparedness information. Getting ou...

Tropical Storm Isaac could affect our area. Get updates from the National Hurricane Center as well as other sites. Some useful links: NHC IbisEye Fox Hurricane Storm info from Sarasota County Hurricane Guide - Preparation Sarasota County Emergency Services Hurricane Shelter List  (Pet shelters indicated) Another Shelter List (that can be printed out) Pet Preparedness Pet Shelter Admission Form Evacuation Routes  ( noted in red) Road Conditions - F511 Statewide Disaster Info

Greetings! Welcome to Sarasota County Community Connections. Please share this with family, friends and neighbors. Contact us if you have questions, ideas for articles, or feedback on the system, at  communityconnections@scgov.net Phillippi Shores sidewalks The  Phillippi Shores Elementary School sidewalk project  is being built under the federal "Safe Routes to School" program. Learn more about the project during an open house-style public meeting Tuesday, July 10, at Phillippi Estate Park. Clerk office hours changing Both offices of the  Clerk of the Circuit Court have reduced hours of service  to the public. As of July 1, the Clerk's main office at 2000 Main St. in Sarasota, and the Venice branch at 4000 S. Tamiami Trail, will provide service from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday. Mobile health services in July Get  free or low-cost health services  this month at 14 sites around the county from the Health Depa...

Procedures that can be implemented quickly and easily. Post emergency telephone numbers by your phones . If you are not advised to evacuate,  locate the safest area in your home . Usually rooms away from windows such as closets, bathrooms and interior hallways offer the best protection. Stock up on non-perishable supplies and assemble an emergency supply kit . Keep your vehicles filled with gas . Determine escape routes from your home as well as places to meet . Designate an out-of-state friend or family member as a contact . This will ensure all your family members have a single point of contact. Make plans now for your pets in case of evacuation . Hurricane-proof your RV.  There are several things you can do to protect your RV from hurricane damage, including: tightening all seals and seams to keep water out; closing and locking all windows and vents; emptying all water tanks to keep pollutants from backing up into the RV; disconnecting your RV from any power...

The Home Builders Association (HBA) will conduct a 1-hour FREE seminar for homeowners on  Hurricane Mitigation at the HBA office at 8131 Lakewood Main St., Ste. 207, on June 5th from 4 to 5 PM. This is in conjunction with the Florida grant obtained by FHBA. If you know of a neighbor, friend or  relative that would like to participate, please have them contact the office to register as seating is limited. Russell LeGrande will help me in conducting this class on behalf of the HBA. If you have any questions, please let me know. Alan Anderson Executive Vice President 8131 Lakewood Main Street, Suite 207 Lakewood Ranch, Fl 34202 (941) 907-4133 (941) 907-4134 Fax www.hbamanatee-sarasota.org

The usual advice on hurricane preparedness from Sarasota Patch : List of Sarasota Shelters Sarasota County’s Emergency Management Chief Ed McCrane describes this weather season as being in neutral having going in between a La Nina and El Nino, which will start about October. When forecasts are given this year, the National Weather Service will talk about hurricanes in terms of category and storm surge to help flood planning. “The category of the storm is determined by the winds associated with that hurricane,” McCrane said. “The storm tide or storm surge is going to be a totally different matter. You may hear that it’s only a Category 2 hurricane but carrying 20 feet of storm surge. That’s a big indicator of what we use of what evacuation zones we need to evacuate.” McCrane stressed having a good disaster kit ready along with some other pre-storm preparations.  “We want them to have enough provisions for at least three days preferably a week,” McCrane said, “but they...