SARASOTA, Fla. – Time is running out for residents in the Sarasota County area to either get out or hunker down.
With debris from Hurricane Helene still littering the streets, trucks were seen carrying loads of trash and rushing it to the central county landfill to drop it off, hoping to mitigate as much loose debris as possible before Hurricane Milton arrives.
Sarasota County has issued mandatory evacuations for levels A, B, and C, which includes the barrier islands and downtown Sarasota.
For those not evacuating, they’re doing what they can to stay safe and protect their homes.
“We thought about leaving, may not make sense to leave now,” said resident Greg Volkov.
Longboat Key residents were told Tuesday afternoon that it would be their last chance to evacuate as the bridges to the mainland will be closing.
Officials made it clear to residents that if you stay behind, you do so at your own risk.