NO Hurricane Shelters Available Across Southeast Polk County

As Hurricane Ian threatens Florida and the Lake Wales area, Polk County has announced that thirteen shelters will be opened across the county, None are in Lake Wales.

The only designated shelter in the city, located at Spook Hill Elementary, will apparently not be opened despite the demand from those living in several large mobile home communities in southeast Polk.

The LakeWalesNews.net had highlighted this continued neglect of the region in a story published at the start of the Hurricane season, when it was anticipated that only one shelter would be available for a population of over 100,000 residents of the southeastern region. At that time we reached out to Polk County Emergency Management for an explanation but received no response.

Available shelters in Polk County will open Tuesday at the following locations:

• Horizons Elementary School, 1700 Forest Lake Dr, Davenport

• Sleepy Hill Elementary School, 2285 Sleepy Hill Rd, Lakeland

• R. Bruce Wagner Elementary School, 5500 Yates Rd, Lakeland

• Chain Of Lakes Elementary School. 7001 Hwy 653, Winter Haven

• Mulberry Middle School, 500 SE Martin Luther King Jr Ave, Mulberry

• Spessard Holland Elementary, 2342 E.F. Griffin Rd, Bartow

• Auburndale High School, 1 Bloodhound Trail, Auburndale

• Citrus Ridge Academy, 1775 Sand Mine Rd, Davenport

• George Jenkins High School. 6000 Lakeland Highlands Rd, Lakeland

• Highlands Grove Elementary. 4510 Lakeland Highlands Rd, Lakeland

• Kathleen High School. 1100 Red Devil Way, Lakeland

• Lake Marion Creek Middle School. 3055 Lake Marion Creek Dr, Poinciana

• Winter Haven High School, 600 6th St SE, Winter Haven