10/10: THIS POST IS NO LONGER BEING UPDATED.
10/7 UPDATE: Orange County is under a local state of emergency, as well as a state and federal state of emergency due to the hurricane.
At the time of this post, Tropical Storm Milton had officially gained hurricane status (Sunday afternoon) and was tracking for Central Florida with sustained winds at 80 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. Milton is expected to become at least a Category 3 Hurricane before reaching the coast this Wednesday.
Governor Ron DeSantis has declared a State of Emergency for 51 of Florida’s counties.
“A major hurricane is the most likely outcome. This is not a good track for the state of Florida.”
– GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS
We will continue to add to and update this running list as the storm approaches, including event cancellations, city services, and more.
Curious about whether you should stay or not? Consider what type of home you live in and what Evacuation Zone you live in. Click HERE for your closest evacuation route care of FloridaDisaster.org, which includes data on hurricane surge flooding. And be sure to follow @citybeautiful and @orlandopolice for updated information leading up to and during the storm.
UPDATED HURRICANE TRACKING INFO – LIVE
POWER GRID
Is your power out? Assuming you’re on your phone, you can use THIS LINK to report an outage with OUC or THIS LINK for Duke Energy. OUC customers can also text “REG” to 69682 to sign up for Outage Alerts on their phones.
TRANSPORTATION
- Governor Ron DeSantis has suspended tolls throughout the state, including Central Florida Expressway‘s 125-mile system in Central Florida on State Roads 408, 414, 417, 429, 451, Wekiva Parkway, 528, Poinciana Parkway and 551 effective Monday, October 7, 2024, at 10:30 AM.
- SunRail service will be suspended beginning Tuesday, October 8, 2024 and is expected to remain closed through at least Thursday, October 10.
- LYNX services will continue as scheduled until sustained winds reach 35 mph or flooding occurs. Starting 12 hours before winds are expected to reach 35 mph, ACCESS LYNX will only provide life-sustaining medical trips.
- Orlando International Airport (MCO) will suspend commercial operations Wednesday morning in advance of Hurricane Milton.
SHELTERS
The following locations are open for individuals looking to shelter from the effects of Hurricane Milton:
- Apopka High School*: 555 Martin St, Apopka, FL 32712
- Carver Middle School *: 4500 W. Columbia Street, Orlando, FL32811-4052
- 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
*Denotes Pet-Friendly Shelter
The Expedia Emergency Accommodations Module, Priceline Emergency Accommodations Portal, and the Booking.com Portal are open to provide real-time information on hotel availability for any residents or visitors seeking a place to stay.
CIVICS, VENUES, BUSINESSES, AND PARKS
- Orange County is offering self-service sandbag stations 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at the following locations:
- Barnett Park: 4801 W. Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL 32808
- Bithlo Community Park: 18501 Washington Avenue, Orlando, FL 32820
- Clarcona Horse Park: 3535 Damon Road, Apopka, FL 32703
- Downey Park: 10107 Flowers Avenue, Orlando, FL 32825
- Meadow Woods Rec: 1751 Rhode Island Woods Circle, Orlando, FL 32824
- West Orange Rec: 309 S. West Crown Point Road, Winter Garden, FL 34787
- Rollins College has canceled all events and classes this week, from Monday, October 7 through Friday, October 11. The campus will close at 5 p.m. Tuesday, October 8.
- Rollins Museum is suspending all events this week.
- Orange County Library System will close all locations starting Tuesday, October 8 at 3:00 p.m. The library will remain closed through Wednesday and Thursday, October 9 and 10.
- Orlando Shakes to close Wednesday. Moving all performances to the weekend.
- Orlando Science Center is closing early on Tuesday and will remain closed through Friday due to the hurricane.
- Morse Museum will close through Friday.
SCHOOLS
- 10/8 – Orange County Public Schools will remain closed through Monday of next week, with district offices opening on Friday.
- 10/6 – UCF will suspend campus operations and all classes Tuesday through Thursday.
- AdventHealth University will close for the hurricane and reopen on the 10th.
CANCELATIONS AND POSTPONEMENTS
- Taste of College Park has been postponed until October 22.
- Kristen Warren & Creek, The String Queens at the Dr. Phillips Center have been postponed and will be rescheduled for a later date.
- Thursday’s performance of Phantasmagoria XV: Grim and Grimmer Tales at the Dr. Phillips Center has been canceled.
- YogaHigh at The Acre Orlando has been postponed until October 30.
- Orlando Mixtape has been postponed. A new date will be announced soon.
- Sunset at The Zoo at Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens is canceled for Thursday.
- Suwannee Roots Revival has been canceled this weekend.
- Orlando Magic preseason game against the New Orleans Pelicans has been canceled for Friday.
BUSINESS UPDATES AND DO-GOODERS
- 10/7 – Publix Grocers will close 500 of their stores by 6 p.m. Tuesday evening.
- 10/8 – Will’s Pub is staying open until 2 a.m. on Tuesday night and are selling to-go bottles of their special single barrel Knob Creek.
- 10/8 – Pepe’s Cantina is giving out free water while supplies last.
- 10/8 – Greenery Creamery is offering a 50% off discount for today only.
- 10/8 – Gnarly Barley is open all day today and will close Wednesday
- 10/8 – Kelly’s Ice Cream is 50% off all day today.
Stay safe Brendan ♥️