Sarasota residents in Zone B asked to evacuate

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - Sarasota County has expanded evacuation orders to include Zone B, emergency officials said Tuesday.

During a news conference by Gov. Ron DeSantis in Sarasota Tuesday morning, the county emergency management director, Ed McCrane, announced people living in Zone B are also be asked to evacuate. “Because of the change in the track this morning, we are now adding Level B,” McCrane said.

The National Hurricane Center announced Tuesday it expects Hurricane Ian to make landfall near Venice around 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Hurricane Ian crossed over western Cuba Tuesday morning. It is a Category 3 storm with the highest sustained winds of 125 mph. The storm is expected to intensify into a Category 4 storm by Tuesday afternoon.