3:15 p.m.
A Department of Children and Families media release says the state is throwing a little early help to families with EBT food cards. If you’re in Highlands or Hardee counties, your September benefits are already on there in case you need stuff after Ernesto.
Jennifer Buettner, 24, and Joseph Thornton, 19, fish off a pier on the shores of Lake Okeechobee as Tropical Depression Ernesto passes through. Crystal L. Lauderdale/Tampa Tribune
By Julie Pace
3:00 p.m., Okeechobee
Crystal Lauderdale and I have never been to Lake Okeechobee, which we’re approaching and Ernesto is passing over. In preparation, we found some fun facts about the lake you might enjoy.
Locals call the lake “Lake O” and “The Big Lake”. It’s 730 square miles and surprisingly shallow. The average depth is only about 9 feet.
Now that you, too, are prepared for our trip to the lake, here’s a weather update: it started to rain again, but the wind died down.
Where are you Ernesto?
By Julie Pace
2:35 p.m., Nearing Lake Okeechobee
We’re heading straight toward Ernesto. The tropical depression is sitting right over the big lake right now. Even with winds that top out at 35 mph, our SUV is getting blown around a little. The clouds are darker than anywhere else we’ve seen and are moving faster. Still, it’s dry here. We’ll update the rain situation as we get closer to Ernesto.
Sharon Turner, manager of the Travel Center on State Road 60 in Vero Beach, watches the Weather Channel at work as Ernesto approaches the area. Crystal L. Lauderdale/Tampa Tribune
By Julie Pace
1:40 p.m., Vero Beach
All signs seem to be pointing toward Ernesto exiting the state near Vero Beach. That’s still several hours away, so residents are playing a waiting game as they watch the sky darken and the winds pick up.
At the Travel Center on State Road 60, near Interstate 95, the phone lines have been down all day, and the television is turned to the Weather Channel. Business has been slow today, says store clerk Mike Frazee, especially among truckers.
It’s a big change from earlier in the week when vehicles were lining up for gasoline, Frazee says. But now that it’s just wind and rain, most people in the Vero Beach area are staying calm.
Next stop: Lake Okeechobee.
By Julie Pace
12:35 p.m., Osceola County
Four-and-a-half hours later, we’ve found more rain.
That’s right, the last time we encountered rain was about 7:50 a.m., back around Bartow. Now, here in Osceola County, the clouds are opening up. It’s nothing out of the ordinary, just a steady rain. The radar shows that the center of Ernesto is still south of us, though.
Once we get through the fields and cow pastures, and hit some civilization, we’ll find out what people who really are in Ernesto’s path are doing while they wait for the tropical depression to make its way up the state.
By Julie Pace
12:20 p.m., Nearing Yeehaw Junction
We’re only about 30 miles outside of Lake Wales, in Polk County, but there is already a definite difference in the weather conditions. Dark clouds are rolling in overhead, and we’re seeing our first signs of any significant wind.
Sure, it’s nothing too significant at this point, but it’s easier to imagine a tropical depression rolling through Florida from here than it was back in Polk County.
Photojournalist Crystal Lauderdale, a veteran of Hurricane Katrina, predicts rain ahead. Take that as you will.
By Julie Pace
11:45 a.m., Polk County
We’re leaving the overcast but dry weather in Polk County behind, and heading southeast where we’re hoping to find some of the rain associated with Ernesto, now a tropical depression. Our path is going to take us along route 60. Stay tuned for updates on Ernesto has he leaves the state.
By Billy Townsend
11:07 a.m., Bartow
There’s no more tropical storm warning for Polk County. They’re still hanging out at the EOC and plan to be there until 6 p.m., but looking at the radar, the storm could dissipate before it even gets here.
By Billy Townsend
11:07 a.m., Bartow
There’s no more tropical storm warning for Polk County. They’re still hanging out at the EOC and plan to be there until 6 p.m., but looking at the radar, the storm could dissipate before it even gets here.
By Nicola M. White
10:52 a.m., Dade City
Owen Stephens has a few words to say about Ernesto: “Let ‘er rip.”
He says it while waiting to buy a lottery ticket at Mexican & American Grocery Discount Beverage in Dade City. “I’m homeless anyway, I don’t care, I ain’t got a house to worry about,” he says.
He plans to shelter under a tarp held down with concrete blocks.
By Julie Pace
10:35 a.m., Lake Wales
There is a very important closure to report in Lake Wales: The Ice Cream Club, a small ice cream shop in the Publix plaza on State Road 60.
Owner Amy Lindblade made the decision to close Tuesday night, when it still looked like there would be heavy rain in Polk County.
She woke up to a different scene today, but says it was probably the right decision.
“Even just with a ton of rain, it’s not good for the ice cream business,” she says.
Lindblade is going to make some calls to her employees to see if they can come in during the afternoon, but because they’re teenagers enjoying their day off of school, she’s not expecting to get many people to come in.
By Julie Pace
10:20 a.m., Lake Wales
When news came Sunday that Ernesto could roll through Tampa Bay as a hurricane, people in Lake Wales headed to the Home Depot to stock up, store manager Mike Neill says.
The hot items? Batteries, generators and gas cans.
Even when Ernesto’s track moved east and it dropped down to a tropical storm, people kept buying supplies, Neill says.
“It’s top on everyone’s mind right now that hurricanes are coming through,” he says.
But with no rain in sight at the moment, and a much weakened storm to the south, Neill says business has been quiet today, and he’s not expecting a last-minute rush.
Mike Neill, store manager of the Lake Wales Home Depot, said he noticed an increase in sales of gas cans, flashlights, plywood and generators. Crystal Lauderdale/Tampa Tribune
By Julie Pace
10:20 a.m., Lake Wales
When news came Sunday that Ernesto could roll through Tampa Bay as a hurricane, people in Lake Wales headed to the Home Depot to stock up, store manager Mike Neill says.
The hot items? Batteries, generators and gas cans.
Even when Ernesto’s track moved east and it dropped down to a tropical storm, people kept buying supplies, Neill says.
“It’s top on everyone’s mind right now that hurricanes are coming through,” he says.
But with no rain in sight at the moment, and a much weakened storm to the south, Neill says business has been quiet today, and he’s not expecting a last-minute rush.
By Julie Pace
10 a.m., Lake Wales
Lake Wales is home to the world headquarters for Florida’s Natural Orange Juice and the Bok Sanctuary. It’s also a place used to hurricanes and tropical storms. The eye of three 2004 storms passed through here, but most of that storm damage has been repaired. We’ll be hanging out here for a bit, waiting for some wind and rain, which is to the south of us. At the moment, it just looks like a hazy August day in Florida.
By Nicola M. White
9:59 a.m., Zephyrhills
It’s business as usual at the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport, although staff here did make sure to secure small aircraft with tie-downs. In the days leading up to Ernesto, airport manager Trina Sweet said, many planes fleeing Key West stopped off in the City of Pure Water for fuel.
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