Immediate evacuation order in place for parts of Citrus County as Michael takes aim
Peter Bernard·9 hours ago
In Hernando Beach, new construction has to be on stilts to protect from storm surge. The area is in evacuation zone A. Zone B isn't far away.
Starting Tuesday morning at 8 a.m., a voluntary evacuation goes into effect.
Not far from Hernando Beach, in Citrus County, it is a mandatory evacuation.
That includes zone A and all mobile homes across the county.
At "The Reserve at Homosassa Springs" mobile home park, the manager is making sure everyone knows they need to move to a shelter.
"We're passing out notices now to all of our residents to keep them safe and give them as much advance notice as we can," said manager Dennis Tarr.
But we found a resident who is hoping history is on his side.
"Where we're located, we've seen a lot of storms stop just below us. And that's going back for many many many years," said Jim Rosen.
Citrus County schools are closing on Tuesday and Wednesday.
While the immediate evacuation order is in place, shelters won't open until Tuesday morning.
"You have to be prepared. Be smart about it," said Angie Weber, as she filled her SUV at a Shell station.
Gas stations saw long lines as people filled up in advance of the storm.
"Getting gas like everybody else 'cause news spread the word. There's a hurricane," said Weber.
Citrus County opened several sand bag stations; 25 per person, already filled and ready to go.
"It's worrisome. But I really don't think it's going to amount to too much, but I don't want to take a chance," said Barbara Ficara, who picked up her allotment of sand bags.
The exact track of Hurricane Michael will determine if the voluntary evacuation in Hernando Beach becomes mandatory.
