'Stay inside'; Indian River County emergency officials say heavy wind, rain still to come

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Hurricane Ian has so far dropped 6-8 inches of rain on the county, but there's more to come. Emergency officials have one message: Stay inside if you can. 

The county, which is on the edge of Ian's path, is under both a tropical storm warning and a flood watch through Friday, and a tornado watch through 5 p.m. Wednesday, said Emergency Management Coordinator Ryan Lloyd. Wednesday afternoon, residents should expect strong tropical storm-force winds —35-45 mph with gusts up to 70 mph, he said.

"We could also have some potential hurricane-force winds, depending on Ian's post-landfall track," Lloyd said at a news conference Wednesday.

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More:Indian River County updates: Hurricane Ian impacts Wednesday in Vero Beach, Sebastian

The heaviest winds are expected to last from 2 p.m. Wednesday through 9 p.m. Thursday, he said.

"These times are approximates, and tornado events obviously remain a significant threat," he said. An additional 2-4 inches of rain should also be expected, he said.

County offices and beaches are closed. But, so far, no bridges have had to be shut down, said Sheriff Eric Flowers. And the county is aiming to keep it that way.

"We're going to do our best to keep those bridges open," Flowers said. But if wind speeds are high enough, he said, bridges could be closed temporarily.

Some areas have experienced minor flooding — 61st Street, between 58th Avenue and 66th Avenue, is closed — but drainage systems have effectively cleared most of the water, said County Administrator Jason Brown. So far, there's been no need to send crews with water pumps to mitigate flooding, he said.

"If you do not have to go out today, tonight or into tomorrow, please avoid the roadways," Flowers said. "We have localized flooding in certain areas, and you don't know how deep those areas are."

The county isn't distributing any sandbags to residents. The time to prep is over, Brown said, so residents should be staying indoors until the storm passes.

Indian River County's shelters have opened, and 67 people are sheltering there as of Wednesday, Lloyd said. The available shelters are:

• Treasure Coast Elementary School (special-needs shelter): 8955 85th St., Sebastian
• Liberty Magnet School (pet friendly): 6850 81st St., Vero Beach
• Freshman Learning Center (general population): 1507 19th St., Vero Beach

Anyone with questions about the storm can call the county's nonemergency number, 772-226-4000.

Thomas Weber is TCPalm's Indian River County government watchdog reporter. You can reach him at thomas.weber@tcpalm.com or 813-545-9113. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.