Alachua County has issued a local State of Emergency in preparation for Tropical Cyclone Four. The order was signed by County Commission Chair Mary Alford Friday evening.
Sandbag locations
Locations are open Saturday, Aug. 3. Limit 10 bags per person.
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Alachua County Wayside Park, 11855 NW 39th Ave., Gainesville. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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Gainesville Public Works Administration, 405 NW 39th Ave., Gainesville. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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Citizens Field, 1000 NE Waldo Road, Gainesville. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Preparing for the storm
The best way to stay up to date is to text the word ALACHUA to 888-777 and follow the Alachua County Facebook page. The Alachua County Ready website is now live and is a good source for the latest storm information.
Alachua County residents should not dismiss this storm. Please take the necessary precautions now to get you and your family ready. You should have your hurricane kits and plans in place if you haven’t already done so.
Some of those actions include, but are not limited to:
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Sign up for emergency alerts by texting ALACHUA to 888-777.
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Clearing items around your home that can be picked up by strong winds.
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Securing property in areas that are prone to flooding.
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Clearing tree limbs from around windows.
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Moving vehicles out from underneath trees.
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Ensuring everyone in your family is familiar with your disaster plan.
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Having a plan for prolonged power outages.
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Refilling prescription medications.
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Having a plan for your pets.
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Checking up on neighbors and those that you know may have special needs.
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Use Alachua.weatherstem.com to view weather stations that are near your home.
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Go to hurricanes.gov and weather.gov/jax for the latest storm track and potential impacts.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Alachua County issues state of emergency ahead of storm