The Marion County Division of Emergency Management has received notification that two Marion County shelters have reached their maximum capacity. West Port High School (a special needs and general population shelter) and North Marion Middle School (a general population shelter) can no longer accept any more citizens for sheltering at this time. Currently, there are no additional shelters openings. Here is a current list for the remaining shelters that are open in preparation for Hurricane Irma:
General Population Shelters:
Fort McCoy School (16160 NE Highway 315, Fort McCoy)
Lake Weir High School (10351 SE Maricamp Road, Ocala)
Forest High School (5000 SE Maricamp Road, Ocala)
Hammett Bowen Jr. Elementary (4397 SW 95th Street, Ocala)
Belleview Middle School (10500 SE 36th Avenue, Belleview)
Madison Street Academy (401 NW Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, Ocala) Dunnellon High School (10055 SW 180th Avenue Road, Dunnellon)
Special Needs Shelter:
Belleview High School (10400 SE 36th Avenue, Belleview – Special Needs ONLY)
Pet-Friendly Shelter:
Vanguard High School (7 NW 28th Street, Ocala)
Special needs individuals can contact the Citizens Information Line at 352-369-7500 to arrange transportation to a shelter, if necessary. If sex offenders or sex predators need to evacuate, they are encouraged to first seek shelter with family or friends, in a non-residency restricted area. If that is not an option, they must report to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office Sex Offender /Predator Unit office for shelter.
There will be law enforcement presence at all shelters for extra security. Shelters will remain open for intake until the weather worsens and winds exceed 35-40 mph.