Polk County is “getting ready to get ready,” county Emergency Management Director Paul Womble told county commissioners Friday.
Tropical Storm Elsa strengthened Friday into the first Atlantic hurricane of 2021, and early forecasts showed the storm possibly crossing the state near Polk late Monday or early Tuesday.
Womble said that the local Emergency Operations Center isn’t anticipating Elsa to grow into a major hurricane based on the forecast and discussions with meteorologists. The EOC is working with the state and the National Hurricane Center to have a better idea of what to expect throughout the weekend.
“By this time, tomorrow,” Womble said. “We should have a much better idea on what’s going to happen, but we’re still 24-plus hours away. They always say their confidence is low but even now, it’s lower than normal.”
Womble said there’s a two out of three chance that the center of the hurricane will stay in the cone that is shown in hurricane center prediction graphics.
“The cone is just where the center could be in the specified time,” Womble said. “Don’t use the cone to know risks and threats from wind, from rain, from surge, from tornadoes. It is just where could the center be, how big is it going to be.”
According to the current forecast, meteorologists predict Polk could feel tropical storm conditions Monday night into Tuesday depending on the storm’s track. Womble said the EOC will be answering phones throughout the weekend to deal with questions and concerns regarding community needs in preparation for the storm.
“We don’t shelter for tropical storms,” Womble said. “But we get them ready, and that’s the case.”
If the storm is at the hurricane level early next week, Womble said that the EOC is prepared to dedicate more space to sheltering because of social distancing.