Public Transportation To Shelters Stops During Hurricane Irma: Pasco County

NEW PORT RICHEY, FL - Evacuees who need rides to shelters in Pasco County will not be able to take the bus, officials say.

For safety reasons, Pasco County officials said that public transportation services were no longer operational as of 11:45 a.m. on Sunday.

Hurricane Irma was 80 miles south of Naples, packing maximum sustained winds of 130 mph, the National Hurricane Center reported at 11 a.m. on Sunday.

Watch: Hurricane Irma Officially Arrives In Florida

For those unable to make it to a county shelter, officials advise moving to an interior room away from windows. (Get real-time news alerts from New Port Richey Patch or your local Florida Patch.)

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People can still drive to shelters themselves; find a shelter online.

County officials added a feature to the website showing which shelters were full. That said, "although shelters are at capacity, no citizen will be turned away," officials said in a statement.

Traffic lights may be out while people are en route to the shelters. Authorities remind drivers that outages and flashing red lights mean drivers should treat the intersection as a four-way stop.

• Hurricane Irma Closes In On South Florida; Tampa Bay In Peril
• Pasco County Expands Mandatory Evacuation Ahead Of Irma
• Hurricane Irma: Pasco County Opening Shelters

In addition, Rowan Road is closed between Massachusetts Avenue and Bandura Avenue, south of the Carlton Arms Apartments, because of a water pump installation to address the possible rising water level in a low-lying area.

To get around the closure, those heading north on Rowan Road should take Bandura Avenue to Congress Street for a north or south alternate, officials advise. Those going south on Rowan Road should take a right onto Orchid Lane to Congress Street for a north or south alternate.

Pictured, a shelter filling up on Sept. 9, courtesy of Pasco County Office of Emergency Management.