Florida Governor Issues Storm Update
After receiving a full update from the State Emergency Operations Center as Tropical Storm Irma continued to move through Florida yesterday, Governor Rick Scott released the following information:
A Storm Surge Warning: South Santee River southward to the Flagler/Volusia County line; Cape Sable northward to the Ochlockonee River; Tampa Bay. Tropical Storm Warning: Bonita Beach to the Okaloosa/Walton County Line; Jupiter Inlet to the South Santee River; Lake Okeechobee.
Evacuations: Although the storm has passed some areas, everyone is advised to listen to local officials and stay off the roads unless necessary to keep areas cleared for search and rescue missions.
For evacuation information by county, visit http://www.FloridaDisaster.org/info. The Department of Emergency Management estimates that 6.5 million Floridians have been ordered to evacuate.
Shelters: More than 585 shelters are open throughout Florida with a total population of more than 200,000 individuals. More than 90 special needs shelters are open with a total population of more than 17,000 individuals. This number is being updated throughout the day. (http://www.floridadisaster.org/shelters)
Power and Utilities: The current power outage as of 12 p.m. is more than 6.5 million accounts. More than 30,000 restoration personnel have been activated to help restore power as quickly as possible following the storm’s impact. At the direction of Scott, Florida Highway Patrol is actively escorting utility convoys to areas in need to help quickly restore power.
DamageAssessments: The Big Bend is still actively receiving impacts from Tropical Storm Irma. After conditions have improved, individual counties will start their initial damage assessment process.
Governor Scott activated the entire Florida Army and Air National Guard – 7,935 guard members – to support planning and logistical operations in preparation for impacts from Tropical Storm Irma.
Across the state, guard members will be actively engaged in missions including search and rescue, law-enforcement support, humanitarian assistance and more. The first priorities after the storm passes will be conducting life-saving search and rescue missions, and security operations in affected communities. The Florida National Guard has 1,000 high water vehicles, 13 helicopters, 17 boats and more than 700 generators to support these efforts.
As ports are actively working to reopen, Florida Highway Patrol is staged to escort resupply trucks to gas stations once the roads are safe.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has begun damage assessments, bridge inspections and debris clearance in the southern part of the state. FDOT bridge inspectors and maintenance crews have reached Marathon and are pushing down US 1 and into the Keys.
FDOT continues to co-ordinate with Google’s emergency response team to “close” damaged roads in Google Maps in real time following damage assessments.
FDOT is working on clearing US-1, Interstate 75, Interstate 95, Interstate 4, Florida’s Turnpike and Interstate 10. They will be followed closely by the United States National Guard and utility companies.
Governor Scott directed the FDOT to suspend tolls across the entire State of Florida in preparation for Tropical Storm Irma. Tolls will remain suspended for the duration of the storm’s impacts to Florida.
The following major airports are closed: Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport: Emergency Operations Only; Downtown Fort Lauderdale Heliport; Everglades Airpark; Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport; Immokalee Regional Airport; Key West International Airport; Marco Island Airport; Miami Executive Airport: Emergency Operations Only; Miami Homestead General Aviation Airport: Emergency Operations Only; Miami Seaplane Base; Naples Municipal Airport: Emergency Operations Only; North Perry Airport; Opa-Locka Executive Airport: Emergency Operations Only; Palm Beach International Airport: Commercial Service Terminated; Punta Gorda Airport; Southwest Florida International Airport: Commercial Service Terminated; St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport; Tallahassee Commercial Airport; The Florida Keys Maraton International Airport; Vero Beach Municipal Airport: Commercial Service Terminated, Emergency Operations Only.
Port Updates: Key West: port closed; Miami: port closed; Port Everglades: port closed (FDOT has cleared road access to Port Everglades. (Once port reopens, FHP will begin escorting fuel trucks to resupply gas stations.) Palm Beach, port closed; Manatee: port closed; Petersburg: port closed; Canaveral: port closed, two oil tankers waiting offshore to discharge oil once USCG reopens port; Jacksonville: port closed; Fernandina: port closed; Tampa: port closed (FDOT has cleared road access to Port Tampa. Once port reopens, FHP will begin escorting fuel trucks to resupply gas stations.); Panama City: port closed; Pensacola: open with restrictions.
Food and Water: The state is working to ensure adequate food resources are available for Florida residents impacted by Tropical Storm Irma, prioritizing activity by areas where landfall first occurred and based upon urgency of need.
