Manatee braces for Hurricane Idalia’s surge. ‘The flooding is the main concern’

Find the latest live updates for Wednesday here.

A continued westward shift in Hurricane Idalia’s track on Tuesday was favorable for Bradenton and Manatee County, which are now farther removed from the cone of uncertainty.

But the region is still set to experience major effects as Idalia powers through the Gulf of Mexico. Idalia is anticipated to become a Category 3 hurricane before making landfall in the vicinity of Apalachee Bay in the Big Bend area of Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday.

Locally, four to six feet of storm surge is expected in coastal areas, made even more dangerous by already high tides.

Other local threats from the storm include sustained 30-40 mph winds with gusts up to 65 mph, three to six inches of anticipated rainfall and the possibility of tornadoes.

Tropical storm conditions could arrive by Tuesday night, the National Weather Service said.

Manatee officials make final plea for evacuations

In a Tuesday afternoon press conference, public safety officials urged Manatee County residents to evacuate from coastal and low-lying areas while it is still possible.

“If you are going to evacuate, do it now before it gets dark,” Emergency Management Chief Steve Litschauer said.

Local leaders also reminded people to remain inside their homes until the storm has passed.

Manatee officials will provide updates when it is safe to drive on the roads.

Combined with the high tide, Hurricane Idalia poses a significant flooding threat in the Bradenton area.

“Please do not be a disaster tourist or a hurricane tourist. Don’t play like a weather guy. Leave that to experts and stay off of flooded roads,” said Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge.

“We do not know exactly when or what the storm is going to do. We’re worried about flooding,” Litschauer added. “The majority of that surge and flood comes after the eye of the storm has gone by.”

Despite an evacuation order that affects an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 people, Manatee officials said just over 300 people had taken advantage of the county’s three emergency shelters.

Throughout the storm, Manatee County residents can call 311 to contact staff for up-to-date information on road closures, power outages, evacuation orders and more.

Always dial 911 during an emergency.

Water already high in Bradenton

Tuesday morning, Bradenton residents were bracing for the storm and weighing whether they needed to evacuate.

Public safety officials ordered a mandatory evacuation for all residents in Level A, including all mobile home parks throughout the county, on Monday. A voluntary evacuation order is in place for Level B.

But some residents in the mandatory evacuation zone were still debating whether to leave.

Arnie Moshier, 61, who lives on Riverview Boulevard along the Manatee River, said he is concerned about the potential storm surge. Around noon, high tide brought the Manatee River to the brim of the seawall.

“This street has been flooding quite a bit this summer,” said Moshier, who took precautionary measures by relocating his 45-foot boat to a nearby slip and removing furniture from his dock.

Moshier plans to ride the storm out at home, but he said he will place a car up the street to evacuate if floodwaters begin to enter his house.

Hailey and Thomas McCoy also live in the Riverview Boulevard area, and while the pre-storm flooding worried them, they said they also plan to shelter in place at home.

“The problem is high tide right now. The flooding is the main concern. We’ll be OK, but the whole street is under water right now,” said Hailey, 43.

In Bayshore Gardens, a group of mobile home park residents stood ready to assist first responders after Idalia has passed.

Jim and Judy Brunett are members of a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), which works closely with Manatee County to evaluate storm damage and search for disaster victims.

“This is our home. This park is our extended family,” Jim, 80, said when asked why they decided to get involved with the organization. “It’s something we can do.”

Tuesday afternoon, the Brunetts were preparing to evacuate from their home at Trailer Estates Mobile Home Park to a nearby hotel. When the storm has passed, they will return to search the area.

As Idalia’s outer bands arrived with rain, members of the Florida National Guard worked to install a “Tiger Dam” — a flexible, inflatable flood barrier — around the perimeter of Manatee Memorial Hospital.

Final preparations on Anna Maria Island

Tuesday, the mandatory evacuation signs were up on Anna Maria Island and the public parking lots were closed ahead of Idalia.

But residents kept coming to Manatee Beach and Coquina Beach to fill sandbags.

“We live 100 yards from the bay and two miles from the beach, so we don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Carl Hickel as he shoveled sand at Manatee Beach. “This will be my first hurricane. If it floods, it floods. It is what it is.”

Tyler Pullen, who lives near Warners Bayou, was also filling sandbags at Manatee Beach.

“We are not on the good side of the storm and we have a big tide tomorrow. It’s all about timing and the surge,” Pullen said.

Mike and Jenny Beehler were just about the only people walking along the surf at Manatee Beach.

The Beehlers were visiting from Minnesota and Jenny was using a metal detector, looking for whatever might be buried there.

Mostly bottlecaps, Jenny said of what she was finding.

“We’re here just for the day to see my friend and we figured we would get out before it gets too close,” Mike Beehler said.

The Beehlers are considering buying a house in the Bradenton area. The last time they were in town was after Hurricane Ian passed through.

Jamie Christian of Cortez was at the Coquina Beach sandbag area.

“I’ve never seen it this quick,” Christian said of the rising waters.

“Good luck with everything,” Christian told others at the sandbag point as she prepared to leave.

Susan O’Neill and Kelly Gross of the Anna Maria Island Beach Cafe and some of their staff were finishing storm preparations Tuesday morning.

“We shut down at 5 p.m. Monday,” O’Neill said. “We wanted to give our staff time to get their homes ready. We will be closed all day today and all day Wednesday.”

At A.P. Bell Fish Company, 4600 124th St. W., Cortez, Karen Bell said operations closed there at noon Tuesday, and that all fishing boats were safely moored.

Bell said that with a full moon and high tide, she would not rest easy until Idalia had moved north well west of the Bradenton area.

“We’re closing at noon to let everyone get ready,” Bell said.

This story was originally published August 29, 2023 at 1:21 PM.