Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings provides an update on Hurricane Milton storm preparation (Oct. 7, 2024). Credit: Orange County Government/YouTube

As Central Florida residents prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Milton, a storm likely to make landfall near Tampa as a Category 3 storm on Wednesday night, Orange County also plans to open 10 general shelters (including several that are pet-friendly) and three shelters for people with special needs.

General shelters open Tuesday, Oct. 8, by 6 p.m. Special needs shelters will open for evacuees Tuesday morning by 10 a.m. LYNX buses will provide free service to shelter locations, according to the county.

General shelters:

  • Apopka High School*: 555 Martin St, Apopka, FL 32712
  • Carver Middle School*: 4500 W. Columbia St, Orlando, FL 32811
  • Colonial High School*: 6100 Oleander Dr, Orlando, FL 32807
  • Lake Buena Vista High School: 11305 Daryl Carter Pkwy, Orlando, FL 32836
  • Lake Nona High School*: 12500 Narcoossee Rd, Orlando, FL 32832
  • Oak Ridge High School: 700 W. Oak Ridge Rd, Orlando, FL 32809
  • Ocoee High School: 1925 Ocoee Crown Point Pkwy, Ocoee, FL 34761
  • Odyssey Middle School*: 9290 Lee Vista Blvd, Orlando, FL 32829
  • Timber Springs Middle School: 16001 Timber Park Ln, Orlando, FL 32828
  • Union Park Middle School*: 1844 Westfall Dr, Orlando, FL 32817
  • Wedgefield K-8: 3835 Bancroft Blvd, Orlando, FL 32833
  • Goldenrod Rec.:4863 N. Goldenrod Rd, Winter Park, FL 32792
  • Silver Star Rec.: 2801 N. Apopka-Vineland Rd, Orlando, FL 32818
  • South Econ Park: 3850 S. Econlockhatchee Trail, Orlando, FL 32829
  • Not all shelters allow pets. If you have a pet or pets with you, please plan to evacuate to a pet-friendly shelter.
  • The county encourages residents who require a Special Needs/Medical Shelter during an emergency to dial 407-836-3111 or 3-1-1 to find an appropriate location.
  • Residents who are deaf or hard of hearing can chat online, download the OCFL 311 app, or register at www.ocfl.net/psn, to ensure access to resources and transportation.
  • Identification (ID) is not required to enter shelters.
  • Alcohol, drugs and weapons are not permitted inside shelters.
  • Food will be provided at the shelters, but you are also allowed (and encouraged) to bring other food, snacks and water.

Who is allowed to enter shelters?

Emergency shelters aren’t only designated for people who are homeless. They are also open for people who don’t feel safe or adequately equipped with the resources they need to shelter-in-place from Hurricane Milton at home.

Granted, for those with nowhere else to go, local emergency shelters during severe weather events are generally the only option. And the number of people who face that struggle is growing.

A one-day count of homeless people, conducted across the tri-county region of Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties in January, identified at least 1,200 people who lacked shelter — up from 587 last year. Most of those without shelter — 837 — were found in Orange County, according to the Homeless Services Network, which oversaw the count.

“Half of these folks are not even in a shelter,” said Martha Are, CEO of the Homeless Services Network, during a press conference on the count held earlier this year. “They are out on the street, extremely vulnerable and very scared.”

Although a new state law, effective Oct. 1, has banned people from camping or sleeping on public property in Florida, the law includes exceptions for when the governor or the county government has declared a state of emergency in the county (as is the case for Hurricane Milton).

This may be particularly important with Milton’s arrival this week, as the local region here in Central Florida was underprepared for the new law, and those without shelter aren’t magically provided anywhere else to go. The law, H.B. 1365, allows local governments to establish state-sanctioned camps of a sort for homeless people who lack shelter, but cities and counties were given little time (and no money) to see this through or establish such sites.

“Parts of the legislation lack a certain clarity about what steps they [local government leaders] need to take and what will happen. And so, with that kind of ambiguity, many jurisdictions are reluctant to move forward,” Martha Are, CEO of the Homeless Services Network, told Central Florida Public Media earlier this month.

After the counties’ state of emergency is lifted, post-storm, the ban on public encampment will go back into effect.

Hurricane prep resources in Orlando

Local residents can download the free FEMA app, available in English and Spanish, to receive real-time weather alerts and find local emergency shelters in their area.

The city of Orlando has updates available on storm preparation, including storm resources and information about supplies at orlando.gov/storm.

If you experience flooding, visit orlando.gov/flood or call 407-246-2238 to submit a work order so a city crew member can assist you.

If you need somewhere to safely store belongings, U-Haul’s 162 centers across Florida are also offering 30 days of free storage space and U-Box portable container use, according to a news release, in preparation for Hurricane Milton’s impact.

If you’re looking for somewhere to safely store your car during the storm, Orlando will be waiving fees (i.e. free parking!) at four of its downtown parking garages beginning 6 a.m. Wednesday. Residents will need to remove their vehicle from the garage by noon Friday, at the latest, to avoid fees.

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This article appears in Fall Guide 2024.

General news reporter for Orlando Weekly, with a focus on state and local government and workers' rights. You can find her bylines in Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, In These Times, and Facing South.