-Broward is now under a Tropical Storm Watch - 

BROWARD COUNTY, FL - At this morning’s 5AM advisory, the National Weather Service placed all of Broward County under a Tropical Storm Watch. A Tropical Storm Watch is issued when a tropical cyclone containing winds of 39-73 miles per hour or higher poses a possible threat, generally within 48 hours. These winds may be accompanied by storm surge, coastal flooding and/or river flooding. A watch does not mean that tropical storm conditions will occur; it only means that these conditions are possible. Palm Beach County and points north are currently under a Tropical Storm Warning, which is issued when sustained winds of 39-73 miles per hour or higher are expected in 36 hours or less.

• Residents should continue to monitor Dorian, which is a powerful, slow moving Category 5 storm currently over the Bahamas. According to Broward County Emergency Management, preparations by Broward County residents and businesses should be well underway.
• Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and North Perry are operating normally as of Sunday morning. Only ticketed passengers can park at FLL. There are some cancellations; passengers must check with their airline for details.
• Port Everglades is open and operational as of Sunday morning, but conditions may change throughout the day. Some cruise ship schedules have been adjusted; passengers must check with their cruise line for details. Residents are still reminded to have a “conservation” mindset when it comes to fuel usage. If and when Port Everglades closes, fuel availability could be impacted.
• Florida Department of Transportation will start a lockdown of drawbridges at 12Noon today. Broward County will start a lockdown of the following drawbridges at 2:30PM today: Andrews Avenue Bridge, 3rd Avenue Bridge, and SW 4th / SW 7th Avenue Bridge. ALL drawbridges will be closed by 8PM today.
• Parks, Libraries and the Animal Care Shelter remain closed to the public until further notice.
• At this time, Broward County Transit is operating on a normal weekend schedule and normal holiday schedule is planned for Labor Day on Monday, September 2.
• The County’s shelters are ready in the event an evacuation notice is given or if sheltering is needed. No evacuation notice has been issued at this time.  

Officials urge residents to Stay Informed and Be Prepared. Check Broward.org/Hurricane for the latest updates. The official Twitter site for Broward County emergency information is @ReadyBroward and Facebook is @BrowardEMD. You can also call Broward County’s Emergency Hotline at 311 or 954-831-4000. The Hotline will be open from 7AM - 7PM today, Sunday, September 1st.

DATE: September 1, 2019
CONTACT: MEDIA ONLY 954.831.3890
RUMOR CONTROL: 954.831.4000
EMAIL: publicinfo@broward.org
WEB: Broward.org/Hurricane

EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER
201 NW 84th AVE
Plantation, FL 33324