SARASOTA COUNTY (WSNN) – Tropical Depression Fred is on its way to Florida and the Suncoast is preparing.
As of Friday afternoon, Fred is forecasted to track over the Gulf and bring some potential flooding. So out of precaution, Manatee County and the City of Bradenton government staff are making sandbags available to residents.
“We don’t know what this storm is going to be; a wind event, a water event or miss us totally,” City of Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown said. “But, the most important is to be prepared.”
By Friday afternoon, City staff prepared 4,000 sandbags and distributed about 1,000 at the Public Works Annex. It was 10 bags per car.
“We live on the Manatee River and with the storm coming, we just want to be ready in case there’s any flooding going on,” Bradenton resident, Rick
There’s been a lot of rain on the Suncoast, so Mayor Paige says flooding is the biggest concern.
“The ground is very saturated, so there is not for the water to go,” Mayor Brown said. “What happens is, a lot of it plays with timing. We know if the tides are in, we’re going to have a little bit more. If the tides are out, the water has a place to go.”
The Manatee County Public Works Department made self-serve sandbags available for several flood-prone locations including the Rubonia Community Center and at the Myakka Community Center.
“We want to be prepared no matter what happens,” Mayor Brown said.
Bradenton has a CodeRED for emergency alerts.
Sandbags will also be available tomorrow from 8 a.m. – noon at the Public Works Annex, in Bradenton.