Officials warn Elsa ‘will not be a walk in the park’ as storm hits hurricane strength
With Elsa hitting hurricane strength, Manatee County residents rushed to prepare for the rain, wind and storm surge that was expected Tuesday night. Early Wednesday, it had weakened to a tropical storm, with 70 mph winds.
In the days leading up to the storm, local officials urged people to get familiar with their evacuation zones and start gathering the supplies necessary in the event of an emergency. Forecasters expected Elsa to hit Manatee with lots of rain and wind gusts of up to 60 mph.
“This will not be a walk in the park,” Public Safety Director Jacob Saur warned during a Tuesday afternoon press conference about Elsa’s impact on Manatee County.
As of 8 p.m Tuesday, Elsa was about 100 miles south-southwest miles of Tampa, with sustained winds of 75 mph, the threshold to be considered a category 1 hurricane. It was moving to the north at 14 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Also speaking with the media, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, urged residents to prepare for the worst-case scenario. Recalling Hurricane Charlie in 2004, Buchanan noted that a storm can intensify or change tracks quickly.
“I think Manatee County and this region is prepared. The fact of the matter is we could have something that’s almost borderline in terms of a hurricane,” Buchanan said, pointing out that Elsa’s wind speeds fall just short of the 74 mph to qualify as a Category 1 hurricane.
In a Tuesday afternoon update, the National Hurricane Center modified its forecast to say that Elsa was likely to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane by the time it makes landfall north of Manatee County. A hurricane warning was also issued for just north of Manatee County, extending from Egmont Key to the Steinhatchee River in Big Bend.
“Especially on the barrier islands, you’ve got to make sure you’re doing everything you can to tighten everything down,” Buchanan added.
Frequent rains in recent weeks have also led to concerns about saturated soil in the area. Because the soil is still holding water, large trees are more likely to topple over, which could also increase the likelihood of power outages, according to Saur. The county and other parts of the Tampa Bay area also remain under a tornado watch, he said.
By Wednesday morning, forecasts say the worst of Elsa will be over. Throughout the day, expect a high of 88 degrees and a low of 76 degrees, with scattered showers, thunderstorms and winds of between 15 and 25 mph.
While evacuations were not ordered ahead of the storm’s landfall, Manatee County opened a voluntary shelter at Manatee High School Tuesday morning. As of Tuesday afternoon, 16 residents took advantage of the opportunity, which provided a safe haven for residents who live in flood-prone areas.
In order to protect low-lying homes from flooding, several municipalities provided free sandbags to residents. In the city of Bradenton, bags were available at the Public Works Annex. Lines of cars snaked through GT Bray Park Tuesday for Manatee County’s sandbag distribution.
“I’m happy to hear that residents have been taking advantage of those sandbags locations and we have had to refill them a few times today,” Saur said.
According to forecasters, Elsa threatened Manatee’s coastal areas with the possibility of a 5-foot storm surge starting around 8 p.m. Tuesday night. The National Hurricane Center said that storm surge could be “life-threatening.”
Residents on Anna Maria Island were urged to shut off their home’s power if they see saltwater intrusion in their homes, reminding them of a resident who was electrocuted and died last fall during Tropical Storm Eta last year.
In addition to reminding people to put together hurricane kits, county leaders urged residents to secure any loose materials they have outside their home, including patio furniture, trash cans and other items that might be swept away in the wind.
Elsa is also impacting garbage and recycling pickup. Bradenton announced that trash collections that usually occur on Monday and Thursday will instead be picked up on Wednesday and Friday. Normal Tuesday and Thursday pickup will happen on Thursday and Saturday, officials said.
In unincorporated Manatee County, officials opted not to pick up trash on Tuesday, but trash and yard waste pickup is expected to resume as normal on Wednesday.
Recycling has also been put on pause this week for Bradenton and Manatee County residents. Regular pickup schedules are expected to resume on Monday.
This story was originally published July 6, 2021 at 3:43 PM.
