Manatee County has reopened schools and is also a donation drive to help those affected by Hurricane Ian. Check the school district’s Facebook page for details. In Sarasota, they’ll take a phased approach to opening. According to 10 Tampa Bay, the first district planning to open will be north Sarasota County schools, to the north of Taylor Ranch Elementary School, on Monday, Oct. 10th. The south County schools will most likely not open for at least another week.

St Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch has extended the state of emergency for another week. That will allow for power restoration and debris pickup in the city, and includes among other items prohibiting price gouging. The executive order was signed Saturday night. Hillsborough County has extended the state of emergency as well through Friday, Oct. 7th.

President Joe Biden will be visiting Florida on Wednesday to view the devastation, along with First Lady Jill Biden. Where in the state he’ll visit has not been announced but the trip also includes Puerto Rico on Monday.

Donations are being accepted through the American Red Cross as well as the Florida Disaster Fund which has already $20 million. Federal disaster assistance will be available to those in Tampa Bay affected by Hurricane Ian, but the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) has not been approved yet. To determine if you are eligible click here to check the FEMA site, or go to disasterassistance.gov or call 800-621-3362 between 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

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