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VOLUME 6, NO. 216
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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2022
HURRICANE IAN BLOWS THROUGH PLANT CITY
CITY RESIDENTS BEGIN CLEANUP EFFORTS AND RESTORE NORMALCY TO THEIR LIVES.
MAIL BALLOTS MAKE THEIR WAY TO VOTERS Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections mails 316,000 ballots.
MICHELLE CACERES STAFF WRITER
Evelyn Cook at Pennsylvania and Calhoun
MICHELLE CACERES STAFF WRITER
A lot can happen in a couple of weeks. On Sunday, September 25th, residents were becoming painfully aware that a powerful hurricane had its sights set on Hillsborough County. While a southern shift in its forecast track meant that the city was spared from the worst of the storm’s winds and rain, the memory of the event will leave an indelible impression on the minds of those who weathered the storm for years to come and has proven the city’s emergency management planning is effective. HURRICANE PREPARATION
As Hurricane Ian approached, and its forecast track depicted a Tampa area landfall, government officials sprang into action. Hillsborough County Public Schools super-
intendent Addison Davis announced schools would be closed for the week. Six schools in Plant City were converted to emergency shelters. Sandbag distribution locations opened to help residents prepare their homes for water intrusion. While county operations were self-service facilities that required residents to shovel their own sand into bags, Plant City officials provided 5,000 pre-filled bags to city residents thanks to a sandbagging machine purchased after Hurricane Irma in 2017. “Not only were they prefilled but we also loaded them into our residents’ vehicles which helped speed up the process,” said City Manager Bill McDaniel. As the city was executing its own alreadyprepared plan to assist residents during the storm, officials encouraged citizens to finalize their own plans.
“I believe in preparing for the worst but hoping for the best,” said McDaniel. Plant City resident and homeowner Dan Segale, who lived in Miami during Hurricane Andrew in 1992, prepared by freezing as much food as he could, purchasing nonperishable food items, water bottles, batteries and matches. He filled his tubs with water and designated an interior closet as a safe room for him and his family in case they really had to hunker down. He made space in his garage for a vehicle and placed sandbags around his back door in the event of water intrusion. “We made plans as if we were going to get a direct hit but were relieved when we learned the storm was moving further south,” he said.
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More than 316,000 mail ballots were loaded into trucks at the Robert L. Glider Elections Service Center. The ballots were bound for the post office, where they will be mailed to local voters who’ve requested mail ballots. Vote By Mail ballots are only available to registered voters who have requested one. Florida voters have until October 29th to request that a ballot be mailed to them. Voters will need to provide their Florida Driver License, Florida ID or the last four digits of their social security number when making the request. Voting by mail allows you to take your time making decisions on your ballot while enjoying the privacy and convenience of home. “I encourage voters who want to vote by mail to make their request as soon as possible,” said Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer. Voted ballots must be in the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Office by 7 p.m. November 8th. It’s not too late to request a mail ballot. Visit VoteHillsborough.gov or call 813-744-5900 to request your mail ballot.