At the Warner Bayou Boat Ramp in Bradenton, the morning before Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall, waters rose high around 3 a.m. Rain poured down on the homeless and last-minute preppers heading to open gas stations in the dark hours of the morning.

Bradenton, Fla. (WFLA) — Manatee County has opened up six new shelters as residents evacuate. Blanche H. Daughtrey Elementary School: 505 63rd Avenue East, Bradenton Gilbert W. McNeal Elementary School: 6325 Lorraine Road, Lakewood Ranch Robert H. Prine Elementary: 3801 Southern Parkway West, Bradenton.

Manatee County residents living in storm-surge vulnerable areas or in homes that could easily be damaged by high winds are under mandatory evacuation.

Manatee County officials are discussing evacuations and shelters as Hurricane Milton barrels toward Florida’s Gulf Coast. Residents must now hunker down where they are, as weather conditions have rapidly deteriorated.

The cities include Anna Maria Island, Holmes Beach, Bradenton Beach and the Town of Longboat Key starting at 10 a.m., according to a news release. They warn that the water will be completely shut off and there will not be residual pressure or flow that some residents may have experienced during Hurricane Helene.

Manatee County emergency managers have called for evacuations from all Level A and B homes in advance of Hurricane Milton, which is predicted to hit Florida's west coast on Wednesday. Those evacuation orders, issued Sunday, include all those in RVs or mobile homes.

Manatee County officials have opened several shelters ahead of Hurricane Milton’s landfall as a devastating storm. Residents in levels A, B and C and those living in mobile homes and recreational vehicles are under mandatory evacuation orders.