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- Oh yeah? Well I survived CHARLEY!
- WE FOUND ERNESTO!!!
- The cows aren't worried
- Thar he blows
- Early morning musings
- Does this place have a bull's eye painted on it?
- Experience the excitement of tropical storm shuffleboarding
- We're signing off. Good luck, S.C.!
- Quiet emergency
- Waiting for Ernesto
- No school for Yellow Jackets
- Home Depot rush is over
- Mike's Morning Mosey
- 2,000 without power in northeast Polk
- Gas lines gone, phone lines down at Vero stop
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Highlands Regional Medical Center employees are asked to report to work prior to the curfew if and when one is called by the Highlands County EOC.
Call the hospital for more information and updates.
The hospital will allow employees to bring their children and pets to the hospital if no other arrangements can be made.
All Pinellas County public schools will remain open Wednesday Aug. 30.
Eagle Lake Christian School will be closed tomorrow Wed. Aug. 30
Excel Christian Academy, 6505 Odom Road, Lakeland will be closed on Wednesday Aug. 30.
SunTrust Bank Central Florida will be closed Wednesday, August 30, 2006, due to Tropical Storm Ernesto.
The affected counties for SunTrust closures are Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Brevard, Highlands, Polk, DeSoto, Okeechobee, Volusia and Flagler. The Lake county SunTrust offices will be open all day Wednesday.
All SunTrust branch offices are expected to open for business as usual on Thursday, August 31.
SunTrust customers have access to their money through SunTrust on-line (suntrust.com or 1-800-suntrust) and SunTrust’s extensive ATM system.
Lakeland VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic will be closed on Wednesday, August 30. The Lakeland VA Outpatient Clinic is located at 3240 S. Florida Ave.
All patients have been rescheduled with new appointments or have been given an option for a new appointment date.
For more information contact the VISN 8 Telecare Line at 1-877-741-3400.
The University of Tampa has cancelled afternoon and evening classes and suspended campus operations except for essential services, beginning at 1 p.m. Wednesday.
The closure is expected to last until 8 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 31, provided that Ernesto passes east of Tampa late Wednesday as it is projected to do.
Essential services include food service, security and maintenance.
All outdoor student activities, including athletic events and practices, also are cancelled, as well as classes.
No evacuation of the campus is anticipated, and the University’s approximately 3,000-student residential population will not be asked to leave. The action is being taken because the health and safety of University staff, faculty and students is paramount.
Although conditions in the tropical storm are not expected to be severe, there is a possibility of winds in the 40-mph range and up to five inches of rain.
Normal University operations are expected to resume at 8 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 31.
Polk Community College will be open for classes on its Lakeland and Winter Haven campuses Wednesday, Aug. 30. Except for Collegiate High School, Lakeland and Chain of Lakes Collegiate High School, all classes and offices will be open.
For more information visit PCC’s web site: http://www.polk.edu or call a recorded message at 863-297-1000.
Announcements will also be issued via local radio and TV stations and newspapers.
By Billy Townsend
The Tampa Tribune
As most of you probably know, Tropical Storm Ernesto has shifted to the west from yesterday’s projected path, which had it strafing the eastern coast of the state.
For now, the heart of the relatively weak storm looks poised to pass over Polk County after traveling a large distance over land, which should weaken it further. Polk emergency officials say they’re expecting 3-5 inches of rain. That amount should not cause flooding, officials said, noting that Polk has endured a dry summer until now.
Polk’s weather is now expected to begin deteriorating about 7 a.m Wednesday. With that in mind, the School Board has decided to cancel classes and keep students and teachers at home. A decision about Thursday will be made at 4 p.m. Wednesday, according to school district officials.
School Board policy mandates cancellation of all extracurriculur activities - including sports practices - on days when school is canceled.
The Lakeland High School - Miami Norland High School football game set for Fridat night in Lakeland has been cancelled as well, according to a School Board media release.
Further school information will be posted on the Polk schools Web site, and will be broadcast on the Polk schools education channel, channel 14 on Bright House and channel 26 on Comcast. You can also check back here to the Polk News blog on TBO.com for more information.
Here are some other Ernesto notes, and we’ll update as the day unfolds:
-- Polk County government officials will wait until Wednesday morning to decide if courts and county government facilities will close.
Southeastern University in Lakeland will cancel classes Wednesday. Only essential personnel will remain on campus.
Lakeland Christian Church will cancel all Wednesday night services on August 30, 2006.
This includes: Adult Bible Study, Worship/Ensemble Practice, and Kidz and Youth Club.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is encouraging Floridians and visitors to call the free 511 service to get the latest updates on evacuation routes and road closures.
511 cn be dialed from a cell phone or a landline, callers can hear real-time traffic reports on all interstate highways, the, Florida’s Turnpike, major evacuation routes, bridge and road closures due to hazardous conditions, contra-flow usage and roadways with toll suspensions.
Highlands Christian Academy will be closed on Wednesday, August 30, 2006.
Hillsborough County’s Emergency Management officials and local first responders are continuing to monitor Tropical Storm Ernesto.
All Hillsborough County public schools will remain open Wednesday Aug. 30.
Weather conditions on Wednesday could include gusts of winds and rain, but no dangerous weather is expected in the Tampa Bay area.
There are no evacuations ordered and no closings at this time.
Sarasota Emergency officials advise beach goers to take precautions for hazardous weather. Rip currents, heavy surf and lightening strikes are all potentially hazardous situations that intensify during severe weather situations.
Sumter District Schools will be dismissed early on Wednesday, August 30 starting at 11:30 a.m.
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