Schools, shops and more watch storm warily.
Erika’s cone of uncertainty continues to make it difficult for South Florida to gauge how big a blow the region will receive.
So far, most events and services are going ahead as scheduled.
Send your information about cancelled events and early closings to openclose@sunsentinel.com.
Find the Sun Sentinel’s complete hurricane guide at SunSentinel.com/news/weather/hurricane/guide/
Here’s a look at what’s open or closed.
Schools
Broward School District: Regular schedule is in effect. Any changes will be announced through robo-calls, social media and at browardschools.com.
Private schools: Many private schools follow the decisions made by the public school systems. Check with individual schools for their plans. COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIES
Broward College: Regular schedule is in effect. Any changes will be announced through BC alerts sent to students, faculty and staff; updates at broward.edu and on the following hotlines: 954-201-6600, 954-201-4900 or 954-779-2699.
Florida Atlantic University: Regular schedule is in effect. Weekend updates will be available at http://www.fau.edu/ advisory or on the FAU hotline at 1-888-832-8695.
Florida International University: Regular schedule in effect. A decision will be made Saturday regarding Monday classes. FIU will send updates through FIU email accounts, posted at fiu.edu, and on social media (facebook.com/floridainternational and twitter.com/FIUnews).
Nova Southeastern University: Regular schedule is in effect. Updates regarding campus closings, re-openings and event cancellations can be found at nova.edu/hurricane and the NSU Emergency Hotline at 800-256-5065.
University of Miami: Regular schedule in effect. Any changes will be announced at miami.edu/prepare and miami.edu or on the university hotline: 1-800-227-0354.
Grocery stores
Publix: Regular schedule in effect. Information regarding store closings will be shared through media partners, social media and at www.publix.com.
Whole Foods: Regular schedule in effect. Company will make any closure decisions late Sunday on a case-by-case basis and alert local media.
Winn-Dixie: Regular hours in effect. Extended hours or store closings will be announced through media advisories, social media and at www.winndixie.com.
Gas stations
Gas stations are open and operating during normal hours.
Entertainment
Dolphins preseason game vs. Atlanta Falcons: Game is on for 7 p.m. Saturday at Sun Life Stadium. Theaters: Movie theaters are open with regular hours.
Broward Center for the Performing Arts: Bed & Sofa as scheduled at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Any weather-related changes will be posted at browardcenter.org and be available by calling 954-462-0222.
Parker Playhouse: The Pure Led Zeppelin Experience as scheduled at 8 p.m. Saturday. Any weather-related changes will be posted at www.parkerplayhouse.com and be available by calling 954-462-0222.
Shopping
Malls: Malls are open regular hours.
Transportation/travel
Airports: Fort Lauderale-Hollywood International Airport, Miami International Airport and Palm Beach International Airport are open. Check with your airline and our flight tracker at SunSentinel.com/travel/sfl-flight-tracker-htmlstory.html.
Port Everglades: Port is open. The arrival and departure of three cruises could possibly be affected by weather: Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas on Sunday, the Carnival Conquest on Monday and the daily Bahamas Express Ferry. Check with your individual cruise line.
Broward County buses: Regular service will continue until the county declares a state of emergency or sustained winds reach 39 mph. At that point, buses will switch to evacuation services only. Updates will be available on Broward County hotline at 954-831-4000.
Tri-Rail: Regular service on Saturday. Officials will decide Saturday night about Sunday service. If service is suspended, it likely will not resume until Wednesday at the earliest. Updates are available at 800-TRI-RAIL, at www.tri-rail.com or on Facebook.
Boaters: All bridges on the New River, Miami River and Intracoastal Waterway in Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties will be on lockdown starting at about 8 p.m. on Saturday. For updates, go to homeport.uscg.mil/miami and look under “Port Conditions.” Vessels are advised not to go up the river if they do not have a destination.
Garbage pickup
Collection services advise against any tree-trimming over the weekend. Also make sure trash is secured and delay putting out trash for pick-up on Monday if your area is experiencing strong, gusting winds.
Waste Management: Regular schedule planned. Decision will be made by Sunday evening on suspending Monday pick-ups if sustained winds are anticipated to top 40 mph. Alerts will be provided to local media, on wm.com and on Twitter and Facebook. Company serves 12 Broward cities.
Government
Hollywood sandbag distribution: The city distributed all 12,000 sandbags it had available on Friday, so the planned second day of distribution on Saturday has been cancelled.
Shelters
Broward and Palm Beach County shelters are not open at this time. Plan where you will go at interactive.sunsentinel.com/south-florida-disaster-resources and what to bring.