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VOL 19 No. 47
September 4, 2019
Dorian’s path veers away from west coast BY CINDY LANE SUN STAFF WRITER | clane@amisun.com
As The Sun went to press early due to Hurricane Dorian changing the schedules of everything from printers to planes, the Category 4 storm’s path was veering away from the west coast. With Manatee County clear of the cone of uncertainty, county emergency management officials de-escalated the Emergency Operations Center on Saturday as forecasters predicted Dorian would stay east of the state and turn north, with a 20-30 percent chance of tropical storm-force winds in Manatee County through Thursday, Sept. 5, according to NOAA’s National Hurricane Center. But with change being the only thing certain about hurricanes, officials advised residents to continue to keep watch on the storm, which clocked 150-mph winds Saturday as it approached the Bahamas. "It's been an unpredictable storm, and it could NOAA
Hurricane Dorian at Category 5 intensity approaching the northwestern Bahamas early Sunday morning.
Anna Maria prepares for Dorian and beyond Hurricane Dorian gives the city of Anna Maria an opportunity to refine its storm preparation efforts. BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Hurricane Dorian’s threat has decreased, but the city of Anna Maria is preparing and applying lessons learned from Hurricane Irma in 2017. As a precautionary measure, the City Commission on Thursday, Aug. 29, adopted a resolution declaring a local state of emergency due to the approaching storm. When presenting the resolution by telephone, City Attorney Becky Vose
CITY OF ANNA MARIA | SUBMITTED
These portable pumps can be deployed to remove storm-related flood waters. said, “I suggested to the mayor that we adopt this resolution. If we’re lucky and dodge the bullet then we won’t need to use it, but we will need it if the storm hits the Island.” SEE ANNA MARIA, PAGE 5
SEE DORIAN, PAGE 7
Bradenton Beach readies for Dorian BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN STAFF WRITER
BRADENTON BEACH – The city of Bradenton Beach declared a local state of emergency on Friday afternoon as part of its precautionary Hurricane Dorian preparations. The declaration occurred in the form of a city resolution approved by Mayor John Chappie and Commissioners Jake Spooner and Marilyn Maro during an emergency meeting that took place at 1 p.m. on Friday. In addition to his duties with the Bradenton Beach Police Department, Lt. John Cosby serves as the city’s emergency operations coordinator, working closely with Public Works Director Tom Woodard. “It appears the storm is going to take a major right hook as it hits land. The two
main models are coming into consensus. That’s awesome for us – the further it comes inland, the worse for us,” Cosby told the commission. He said it was still possible Bradenton Beach could experience significant rain and wind, depending on the hurricane’s final course. Cosby said the Public Works Department already cleaned out the city’s storm drains and removed loose articles from the various city properties. He said construction companies, contractors, local restaurants, resorts and businesses would be notified that afternoon and asked to secure any loose items that could present hazards during high winds. But on Saturday afternoon, Code Enforcement Officer Gail Garneau distributed an email saying those restricSEE BRADENTON BEACH, PAGE 4
INSIDE
ANNA MARIA
NEWS 3 TURTLES 11 OUTDOORS 18 RESTAURANTS 21 REAL ESTATE 22-25 SPORTS 27 CROSSWORD 28
FOUR will seek three seats for Holmes
City Commission Chair Brian Seymour resigns from office. 3
Beach City Commission. 7
Anna Maria Island, Florida
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