The Hernando County Office of Emergency Management issued mandatory evacuations Friday for people in zones A and B and residents living in mobile homes. Many of those people came to the county's only pet shelter.

  • D.S. Parrot Middle School in Brookville county's only pet shelter
  • Shelter equipped to care for dogs, cats, farm animals
  • Space for residents separate from animal spaces

Dozens of people came to D.S. Parrot Middle School in Brooksville with their pets when doors opened this afternoon. There are already dozens of animals there with their owners, all preparing to hunker down when the storm hits.

Most of the people at the shelter so far are local, living in evacuation areas or mobile homes.

82- year-old Robert Blankenship came here with his brother and sister in law and his nephew and his dog Maya.

"My sister-in-law she says oh you can't stay in a trailer port," he said.

Judy Pickert is living in a mobile home with her sister in Brooksville and they both decided to evacuate. She's here with her dog Foxy Lady, but her sister had to go to the special needs shelter across town.

"Never been through this before. My first time," she explained.

Judy said she was homeless in Jacksonville before her sister came and picked her up. She said she's worried now that they are separated.

"Am I ever going to see her again?" Judy said.

The school has supplies for all types of small animals from dogs and cats to farm animals. The animals are kept in a separate area from their owners, but everyone is responsible for the care of their pet while they are at the shelter.

There is a hallway is where people will take refuge from the high winds. The school principal says they can house around three hundred people.

And while many people that came into the shelter today were understandably worried about the coming storm., many are putting their trust in a higher power.

"I think if you have the good lord on your side no matter what you're doing you're going to come out ok," Robert said.

We also spoke with a family who went through hurricane Katrina, moved to Florida and now are facing Irma. They told me they don't live in an evacuation zone but after going through Katrina they didn't want to take any chances. That certainly is the feeling of many people that have come here today.

The principal at Parrot Middle did stress that anyone who comes here with their pet has to stay here the entire time, you can't just drop off your pet.