Original Post: Friday, August 30, 2019
Latest Update: Saturday, August 31, 2019 @ 5:30 PM
August 31, 2019 @ 5:30 PM: The forecast for Hurricane Dorian continues to show the storm tracking to the east and well away from Southwest Florida. The Punta Gorda Police Department in continuing to prepare should we be called upon for assistance in any of the communities on the east coast that may be impacted by the storm.
August 31, 2019 @ 11:30 AM: This morning’s update brings more positive news for Florida. The current forecast shows Punta Gorda outside the five-day cone and the worst side of the storm missing Florida all together. While this means we can all breathe a little easier, it also shows how drastically forecasts can change. If you have not yet finished preparing or planning, we encourage you to continue to do so in case things change again. We are still not even midway through hurricane season, so even if we have little impact from Hurricane Dorian, you will be ready for the rest of the season.
August 30, 2019: Today the Punta Gorda City Council passed an Emergency Ordinance authorizing the City Manager to declare a “State of Local Emergency” for the City of Punta Gorda in preparation for possible impacts from Hurricane Dorian. City staff, along with police and fire department leadership, met this afternoon to review the current forecast and storm predictions and continue with preparations. They will meet again on Sunday afternoon to reevaluate conditions. Leadership of the police and fire departments also attended the emergency management meeting held at the Charlotte County Emergency Operations Center. Our residents can be assured that their public officials are doing everything possible to make sure that we are ready to serve our community and deal with any impact from this storm.
Important Information
- Residents can receive the latest storm information from the City of Punta Gorda by visiting http://www.cityofpuntagordafl.com or through any City of Punta Gorda or Punta Gorda Police Department social media outlet including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and NextDoor.
- Residents can register with the CodeRed emergency notifications system by clicking here.
- For specific needs please dial 2-1-1 or 941-833-4000. In the event of an emergency dial 9-1-1.
- Residents can follow Charlotte County Emergency Management to receive important emergency information by clicking here.
- Local radio stations: WCCF AM 1580, WIKX FL 92.9, WENG AM 1530, WBCG FM 98.9, WCVU FM 104.9, WINK FM 96.9, and WCKT FM 100.9.
- Local television stations: Weather-31, Wink-5, WBBH-2, WZVN-7, WXLT-10, WFTX-4, and SNN-6.
- Local newspapers: Charlotte Sun, Herald Tribune.
- Sand bags are being offered at the city-owned parcel on West Henry Street near the dog park. A limit of 10 bags per City of Punta Gorda resident are available to be self-filled.
- More information available in the City of Punt Gorda Weekly Highlights Report (see below).
While the most recent reports may seem positive for our area, there is still a great deal of uncertainty and we encourage all of our residents to continue making final preparations and ensure that they have a plan in place should the storm impact our area or an evacuation becomes necessary. All Floridians know that when it comes to hurricanes, you plan for the worst and hope for the best.