this is Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staley with an update on Hurricane Ian the storm has shifted to the east which is not good for Flagler County this means it is very likely we will begin having tropical storm winds beginning Wednesday night this means sustained winds of 58 to 74 miles per hour and continuing to build up through Thursday and Friday with a possibility of a category 1 hurricane winds some prediction models even have the eye of the hurricane over Flagler County this could be a strong weather event Wednesday night and Nor'easter will arrive and combine with hurricane Ian and there is a king tide with this combination of weather systems we can now expect a storm surge similar to Hurricane Irma in 2017 of two to four feet as well as a significant amount of rain and flooding throughout the county remember this storm can change again as it did overnight but as it gets closer to making a Florida landfall in the Tampa Bay area as a category 3 hurricane it becomes more predictable there is possibility of evacuation orders for some parts of Flagler County over the next 24 hours including neighborhoods on the beach side and along the Intercoastal Waterway if that happens Flagler County Emergency Management will make the announcement and we will keep you informed start getting ready for conditions to deteriorate later this week possibly as soon as Wednesday evening if you're going to shelter in place make sure you have enough food and water to last at least three days we actually recommend a week's worth to be on the safe side we also suggest having plenty of batteries available for flashlights in your weather radio should the power go out and you don't have a generator if you're going to put shutters up we recommend you do that by Wednesday night if you still need sandbags to protect your home you can get up to 10 bags for free at various locations throughout Flagler County inmate work Crews will continue to assist at some of these locations by filling bags for residents to pick up other locations will be staffed by volunteers at those locations but be ready to fill the sandbags on your own in case there's no one to do that that it is likely shelters will open Wednesday afternoon for those that need to or want to evacuate their homes and need a place to go once we have a list of available shelters we will let you know trash collection has been canceled throughout the county so please don't put your trash at the curb for pickup the county is open and en hotline today from 8 A.M to 5 P.M to answer questions the phone number is 386-313-4200 your Sheriff's Office is ready and prepared for Hurricane Ian we hope you are too please continue to follow the Flagler County Sheriff's Office on social media for updates as Ian approaches Flagler County