ORLANDO, Fla. — Local and state governments began opening emergency operations centers with an eye toward a Hurricane Dorian that may be stronger than originally thought at landfall.

Coastal counties are urging residents to complete their hurricane preparations now. Many of them are holding meetings and briefings throughout the afternoon to announce plans and preparations.

And they're not the only ones preparing, we're monitoring preparations with residents, shops, zoos, theme parks and more.

As updates from our reporters come in, we will share them here.

Alternative ways to find supplies

Many Central Florida retailers are running low on essential items during the pre-hurricane shopping rush, but there are other place you can find those hard-to-get items.

Topping the list of shopping must-haves: water, propane, plywood, and gasoline.

Every town has small retailers, and in Mount Dora it’s the Harris Oil Company. They have their own supply trucks, and the gas contains no ethanol. You can tell by the signs they've been through a hurricane before.

Distribution companies like Amerigas stock propane in huge containers, so they rarely run out. Customers can get their tanks refilled, or swap out for another.

If your propane tank name is different from the retailer name, they don't care. All they care about is that your tank is solid and that the valve is on tight.

One good tip for water: Rinse out your used milk containers and fill them with tap water before the hurricane hits.​ — Dave DeJohn, Spectrum News

Statewide

Florida Highway Patrol's Lt. Kim Montes said troopers will be working longer shifts — 12 hours on and 12 hours off — starting Saturday to accommodate requests from county emergency operations center across Florida due to Hurricane Dorian.

The state will evaluate requests from emergency operations centers and direct the FHP’s response. Troopers may be called upon to escort deliveries of food, fuel, or other supplies depending on the state’s direction.

In the past, troopers have been stationed at busy service plazas on Florida’s Turnpike to ensure motorists gas up in an orderly fashion during evacuations. — Greg Angel, Spectrum News

County and Local Governments

Brevard County

Brevard County officials are watching the forecast on Dorian and is waiting on more specific information until they are more sure about how the hurricane will affect the county. But officials urge you to continue to prepare.

People in Brevard County waited in long lines Thursday as they tried to get prepared for Dorian.

Lines were long at some gas stations as people fueled up and stocked up on food and water. One gas station in Viera ran out of gas on Thursday afternoon, but we’re told quickly re-stocked their tanks.

Lines were longest at sandbag stations set up across the county by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. Many people waited for more than two hours to get the sandbags. County jail inmates helped fill the bags to keep the long lines moving.

Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey says he expects the county to hand out at least 100,000 sandbags, which is what the county distributed before Hurricane Irma two years ago.​ — Jeff Allen, Spectrum News

Port Canaveral cruise lines monitoring storm

Port Canaveral is still open to all commercial traffic, but they are monitoring the storm. Tug boats are on standby for boats that have to remain at port. The cruise ships, meanwhile, are re-routing and will stay out to sea during the storm. 

The port is also a major fuel hub. Officials say they will continue to allow the trucks in to transport gas, until it's unsafe to do so.

Carnival Cruise Lines is cancelling and rerouting cruises. You can get updates on the Carnival website.

Royal Caribbean has closed its private island, CocoCay, until Wednesday, September 4. They are also rerouting and cancelling cruises, and that information is on the cruise company's website.

Find updates and changes to Disney Cruiseline itineraries on the DCL website.

Flagler County

In Flagler County, officials are preparing to take the worst of Dorian. They made a declaration of emergency.

Residents in evacuation zones A and B and in zone F should be ready to evacuate, along with those living in mobile homes and low-lying areas. 

Shelters will now open on Sunday instead of Saturday because of the pace of the storm. Updates are always available at the Flagler County government website.

On Thursday, Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly also discussed their preparations. The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has two tactical response vehicles that will be staffed with deputies ready to help those in need.

“Our deputies are equipped with chainsaws and water gear in case they have to wade through flooding to deliver water or food or rescue people, so the community should know that we are prepared with better equipment than we had in Irma, and we did a pretty good job in Irma," Staly said. — Nicole Griffin, Spectrum News

Lake County

Lake County has declared a state of emergency and begun opening its Emergency Communications and Operations Center. 

The Citizens Information Line is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 352-253-9999.

Marion County

Marion County has opened a Citizens Information Line for any questions. call 352-369-7500.

Orange County

Orange County is going to all of the mobile home and RV communities in the area to get residents to prepare for evacuation. Shelters will open on Sunday. If you need a special needs shelter, be sure to pre-register with the county. Call 311.

Orange County Fire Rescue is upstaffing trucks, boats and other vehicles for the storm, and preparing to respond to flooded areas. Fire rescue is also going to visit all the nursing home and assisted living facilities to make sure they are set for the storm, and then plan to return once the storm has passed.

City of Orlando

The city of Orlando has declared a state of emergency. the city will continue to pick up yard waste, but that will stop on Monday.

The city also is waiving parking fees for a limited time. LYNX Bus Service will shut down when winds reach 35 mph., and construction on I-4 will stop soon so storm preparations can begin.

OUC says they have already tripled resources for power restoration. The agency will start with critical infrastructures. 

The city is also advising the windows in high rises downtown need to be secured.

Dealing with past damage

Some homeowners in Central Florida are still feeling the effects from Hurricane Irma. Tarps on roofs are not uncommon.

Some homeowners are either unable to meet their insurance deductible, or disputes with insurance companies have led many to enter this summer with tarps still on their roofs.

We visited several neighborhoods in Orange County where blue roofs dot the communities. People we spoke to tell us they will either tough it out, or be forced out. — Asher Wilderman, Spectrum News.

Osceola County

Osceola County is under a state of emergency. It has activated a hotline for people with special needs at 407-742-9001.

Sand bags distribution will continue in Osceola County, and in Kissimmee and St. Cloud through Saturday at 6 p.m.

The county's special needs shelter will open at 4 p.m. on Saturday. The general and pet-friendly shelters will open at noon on Sunday. We have shelter information HERE.

The county put low lying areas and manufactured and mobile homes under a voluntary evacuation order Friday.

Seminole County

Seminole County will look at opening shelters up sunday morning at the earliest. There are concerns about flooding, particularly along the St. Johns River.

The county said it will continue to keep sand bag locations open until it's not safe to do so. We have a list of sand bag locations here.

Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma reminds drivers that all intersections with traffic lights that are not working should be treated as four-way stops. 

Also, anyone who steals generators for traffic lights will face the maximum penalty, and Lemma says he will do all he can to humiliate the suspects.

Central Florida Zoo prepares animals for Dorian

Workers at the Central Florida Zoo in Sanford are making sure the zoo is hurricane-ready ahead of Dorian.

They’re spending the next few days going through safety checklists, to make sure the animals are safe and secure to ride out the storm, explained CEO Dino Ferri.

From cleaning up debris to taking down loose branches and tarps, workers are making sure anything that could be a projectile is moved. They’re also stocking up on food and water for the 400 animals - enough to last three to five days.

Most of the animals will be brought to a hurricane-proof building, where about 10 veterinarians and other department heads will wait out the storm. The larger animals, such as the rhinoceros, giraffes and big cats, will stay in concrete housing in their pens.

The zoo will be closed from Saturday until further notice. — Rebecca Turco, Spectrum News.

Volusia County

Volusia County is preparing to evacuate beachside, along with low-lying area and RV and mobile home parks.

County officials say the timeline for those mandatory evacuations will be between noon on Sunday and noon on Monday.

Shelters will be open at that time. They have not been posted yet.

Daytona Beach Shores is under voluntary evacuation.

The beach will close Saturday night until further notice. Inlet parks will close Saturday at 5 p.m. until further notice.

Officials are asking people not to go to the beach and watch the storm come in. 

Volusia County Emergency Management officials stressed the importance of preparing now, saying storm surge could be an issue with Dorian.

“This is a dangerous storm that is close enough to us that we have to be able to react, and the problem is if we wait to long, it would be very hard for people to get off the island, so we’ll make that determination (Friday), and that is definitely being considered,” said George Recktenwald, Volusia County Manager.

Sheriff Mike Chitwood plead to "entrepreneurs" who might want to take advantage of a storm. If you commit a burglary or crime during an emergency declaration, penalties are enhanced.

Finally, a Citizens Hotline has been set up. You can call 866-345-0345. — Nicole Griffin, Spectrum News

Beware of Price Gouging

People at a Palm Bay Home Depot said they were buying supplies early so they can beat the rush. Longtime Brevard County residents at the store Wednesday said they know is the time to get storm supplies.

“I’m a native Floridian, and I've gone through a lot of storms, including Andrew, and it is never too early to prepare, and if it blows over, have a great party” Renee Pariseau said.

Bottles of water, generators, and batteries were in high demand at the store Wednesday night. Shoppers also went for tarps, gas cans, and flashlights. Others were buying wood to board up their homes.

Meanwhile, about 20 to 30 people were seen waiting in line at a Costco in Altamonte Springs for water on Wednesday morning.

Store employees told Spectrum News 13 that they have never seen it this busy with a storm days away and warn that at this rate, that Costco store may run out of water later Wednesday or Thursday.

Price gouging is against the law during a state of emergency, which the governor declared Wednesday. Price gouging is charging for essential items heavily exceeding the average from the past 30 days.

Price gougers in Florida can be fined up to $1,000 per violation and as much as $25,000 for multiple violations within a 24-hour period.

The state attorney general has activated a special hotline to report violations: 1-866-9-NO-SCAM. — Rebecca Turco, Cheryn Stone, Austin Lyon

Board up your homes

Prep work now can protect your home from serious damage later. Some contractors are helping homeowners board up their windows ahead of Dorian. 

Rick Bailey, the owner of Nationwide Roofing and GC, told us all of his suppliers in Central Florida were out of plywood Thursday because everyone is gearing up for the hurricane. He finally found some on the East Coast to finish up a job prepping a Kissimmee home. 

He explained why boarding up is important saying, "Debris blowing from other people's home hitting the windows can cause them to break. Then you get water damage. Then you've got to survive that through the storm itself. So if you can protect the windows from breaking, then your house can stay reasonably dry."

Bailey recommends boarding windows whether your home is on the coast or inland because wind and that flying debris can be an issue anywhere. — Cheryn Stone, Spectrum News

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