Hillsborough County, Fla. (Aug. 28, 2015) – Hillsborough County is carefully monitoring the progress of Tropical Storm Erika, and working closely with the National Hurricane Center, National Weather Service-Ruskin, the Florida Division of Emergency Management, and other regional/local partners to share information as it becomes available and coordinate as necessary. At this time, the Emergency Operations Center is not open. No evacuation orders are currently in place.

There is a great deal of uncertainty regarding this system. It is critical that residents carefully monitor news broadcasts and get the latest information from Hillsborough County Emergency Management as the situation develops. The greatest threat posed by Tropical Storm Erika are heavy rains and the potential for tropical storm force winds in excess of 34 miles per hour.

This morning, Governor Rick Scott signed an Executive Order for TS Erika; which gives additional authority and resources to assist in protective actions and planning response efforts. This allows the state and counties to work closely to respond to the threat posed by the storm.

Residents are reminded to check and update their storm readiness plans to ensure they address the needs of all family members and special needs.

Remember, we are only approaching the midpoint of the Atlantic Hurricane Season. September is the busiest month, October is the month when we are most concerned about landfalling storms on Florida’s west coast and the season runs through Nov. 30.

For more information on the developments for Tropical Storm Erika, visit HillsboroughCounty.org/StaySafe.