Nick Paghidas of the Village of Orange Blossom Gardens checked in Saturday at the emergency shelter opened at Paradise Recreation Center.
Having survived Hurricane Wilma a dozen years ago, Paghidas wasn’t going to take any chances as Hurricane Irma was bearing down on Florida.
He was among a number of Villagers who claimed a spot at the recreation center.
And they were happy to have it.
The Villages reversed course and decided Saturday to open the lone recreation center as a hurricane shelter. That shelter will specifically benefit residents on the Historic Side of The Villages who are more vulnerable as the vast majority are in manufactured homes.
The Villages High School has also opened as a shelter. Neither Paradise Recreation Center or VHS is a pet-friendly shelter.
Emergency supplies have been requested from the state, but residents should plan to bring their own provisions just in case.
As recently as Friday, The Villages stood firm in not allowing recreation centers to be used as shelters during this unprecedented emergency.
“People are very unhappy that recreation centers are not being used as shelters,” District Manager Janet Tutt said Friday. “There are good reasons that they are not used as shelters.”
Marion County has opened a number of shelters. Lake County shelters include Villages Elementary at Lady Lake. Sumter County announced Saturday morning that Wildwood Elementary would be opening as an additional shelter.
