Ian Update 1: County officials keeping close eye on tropical depression

Posted On: September 23, 2022

Volusia County Emergency Management officials are keeping a close eye on Tropical Depression Nine, which is becoming more organized in the Caribbean Sea and is expected to strengthen as it tracks northward toward the Gulf of Mexico.

County staff is maintaining continuous communication with the Florida Department of Emergency Management, the National Weather Service and local municipalities. The Emergency Operations Center will be staffed over the weekend and will transition to partial activation if necessary. Volusia County Schools and the Volusia County Fairgrounds are on standby to serve as shelters should the need arise. Staff is discussing sandbag distribution and will evaluate the need to open the Citizens Information Center early as conditions warrant.

“This is a good time to begin actively preparing for the storm,” said Jim Judge, interim director of Volusia County Emergency Management. “We encourage residents to monitor weather reports, make a family plan and consider stocking a disaster supply kit.”  

Residents can stay informed by visiting www.volusia.org and by downloading the Volusia County EM app, which is available for free on the Google Play or App Store. The app features weather alerts and current conditions, preparedness checklists, links to county sites, locations of the nearest open shelter and sandbag distribution sites, evacuation information, push notifications and more.

Residents are also encouraged to follow Volusia County Emergency Management on Facebook, subscribe to the County of Volusia YouTube channel at https://bit.ly/vcyoutubesubscribe, and sign up for emergency notification phone alerts at www.volusia.org/emergency.