By Ken Jackson
Staff Writer

Local emergency officials and power utilities are keeping an eye on Hurricane Sandy.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami issued a tropical storm warning early Thursday from Ocean Reef in the upper Keys to Flagler Beach ahead of Hurricane Sandy, a Category 1 storm with top winds of 80 mph according to the NHC’s 11 a.m. advisory Friday. A tropical storm watch extended to Fernandina Beach north of Jacksonville.

Osceola County Office of Emergency Management Director Richard Collins noted Wednesday that while Hurricane Sandy is forecast to remain offshore a good distance and Florida is not expected to receive landfall, it is being closely monitored.

“Our primary concern is winds of up to 15 – 20 mph, gusting to around 30 mph, and ultimately increasing the effects of other hazards,” Collins said in a release, also noting that outdoor burning, tree and roof work are not recommended through the weekend.

For more information on what local agencies are doing to prepare, citizens can visit mysafety.osceola.org, the EOC’s Twitter feed (@OsceolaEOC) or call 407-742-0100.

The Kissimmee Utility Authority was closely monitoring Hurricane Sandy and was prepared to activate its storm response plan should its service area be threatened.

Should the storm’s predicted track change or should forecast conditions for the area worsen, new information will be posted on the utility’s website, www.kua.com.

Hurricane Sandy recently experienced a stunning increase in size and intensity, according to weather officials. The storm could produce moderate to strong winds and heavy rains in Central Florida, which could result in broken branches, uprooted trees and power outages.

Hurricane Sandy is the 18th named storm and 10th hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season.

Customers who experience a power outage are asked to call the utility’s 24-hour outage line at 407-933-9898. After severe weather, KUA crews restore power by simultaneously repairing transmission lines, substations and distribution circuits. Once the main power lines and facilities are repaired, crews turn their attention to individual customers.

KUA cautioned the public to stay away from power lines that are down or dangling. Report such hazardous conditions to the utility as soon as possible. Do not touch fallen or low-hanging wires and make sure that children stay away from them. It is always possible that these lines could be energized, KUA officials said.

KUA offers a variety of hurricane preparation resources, including a 40-page hurricane guide in English and Spanish (http://www.kua.com/hurricane) as well as an iPad app available through the iTunes store.

Sandy, which crossed Jamaica Wednesday night and the eastern extent of Cuba Thursday morning rolled northward through the Bahamas through the day on Friday, making its closest pass to the Central Florida coast about 200 miles east of Cape Canaveral today as a weak hurricane. Sustained tropical storm-force winds extended 140 miles from the center of circulation. From there it is expedted to impact the Eastern Seaboard from the Outer Banks of North Carolina to New England early next week.