Focus Turns To Panhandle As Isaac Looms
August 27, 2012
Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Craig Fugate said Monday that the federal disaster agency is ready to assist as Tropical Storm Isaac bears down on the northern Gulf coast on an course eerily similar to that of Hurricane Katrina seven years ago.
Heavily criticized for its poor response to the devastating hurricane that hit New Orleans on Aug. 29, 2005, Fugate, the former head of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management, said FEMA has addressed its shortcomings and is in a much better position to be of immediate assistance.
FEMA personnel are already on the ground throughout the region and have been working to coordinate efforts before the storm makes landfall.
“The biggest thing we’ve learned is that we have to work together as a team,” Fugate said of local, state and federal responders.
Fugate spoke with reporters via conference call Monday to provide updates on preparations for Isaac’s landfall, now expected midweek. Forecasts have the storm making landfall in Alabama, Mississippi or Louisiana though its effects will felt hundreds of miles away.
“This is not a New Orleans storm,” Fugate said. “This is a Gulf Coast storm…Everybody’s focusing on New Orleans and they don’t understand this threat is not a point. It’s a large area.”
Of chief concern in Florida is the potential for torrential rains in the already water-logged Panhandle region. Isaac is a slow moving, relatively large storm system that will dump water before landfall and continue soaking the region after the center of the storm passes through.
Gov. Rick Scott, who appeared at a breakfast meeting of Florida and South Carolina delegates to the Republican National Convention in Tampa, said Isaac could cause big problems in the region that in recent years has been hit by the BP oil spill in 2010 and Tropical Storm Debbie earlier this year.
The storm could bring as much as 16 inches of rain in Pensacola and surrounding Escambia County, which may also experience tropical storm force winds for more than a day. Storm surge in the region could run three to six feet.
“The biggest concern now is the Panhandle,” Scott said.”The Panhandle is drenched.”
Meanwhile, in Tampa, the roughly 50,000 people in the area for the convention woke up to a breezy, rainy morning, but little evidence of a tropical system. The sun even came out a few times as the day went on. Still, Republican leaders postponed official events until Tuesday, at least in part because of high winds and potential storm surge.
Isaac brought heavy rains to the Florida Keys during the early hours Monday, but Scott said there was minimal damage reported. At noon, more than 70,000 Florida Power & Light customers were without power.
Along the Panhandle, preparations were in full swing Monday morning. A mandatory evacuation is in place in Walton County for all residents living south of Highway 20 located in low lying areas.
Evacuation orders were also issued in portions of Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Escambia Counties. Included in that area were evacuation orders for Navarre Beach and Pensacola Beach.
By The News Service of Florida
NAS Pensacola Evacuates 4,500 Students
August 27, 2012
In preparation for Isaac, Naval Air Technical Training Center located aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola (NASP) was set to evacuate nearly 4,500 students Monday
The students were transported to the Marine Logistics Base in Albany, GA, for temporary lodging until the storm passes and it is determined that if is safe to return to NASP.
Additionally, NASP will be closed to all but essential personnel on Tuesday, August 28th. The decision to keep the base closed on Wednesday will be made after effects of Tropical Storm Issac are evaluated on Tuesday. The base anticipates returning to normal duty and work hours on Thursday, August 30th. All non-essential personnel should contact their supervisors to determine when to return to work or for specific information.
PSC Cancels Classes
August 27, 2012
Pensacola State College has canceled all classes on Tuesday and Wednesday. Current plans are to reopen for classes on Thursday. The deadline to add/drop classes has been extended until Friday.
Workforce Escarosa Locations, Including Century, Closing
August 27, 2012
Workforce Escarosa’s administrative office and three one-stop center locations will be closed on Tuesday, August 28, and Wednesday, August 29, due to potential threats from Isaac. All locations are expected to resume normal business operations on Thursday, August 30, provided no building damage has occurred. All scheduled workshops, appointments, meetings and program activities have been canceled for 8/28 and 8/29. Customers are advised to monitor local media outlets for status updates.
Workforce Escarosa Locations:
Century One-Stop Center
8120 North Century Blvd.
Century, FL 32535
Administrative Office
9111 Sturdevant Street
Pensacola, FL 32514
Pensacola One-Stop Center
3670 North L Street
Pensacola, FL 32505
Milton One-Stop Center
5725 Highway 90
Milton, FL 32583
Urgent Call For Blood Donors
August 27, 2012
The Northwest Florida Blood Center has issued a call for residents to donate blood today before Isaac moves closer to the coast.
All blood centers are in operations and the Blood Center is asking all eligible donors to stop in at a branch location and donate today while weather conditions are still favorable in our area.
“Blood centers have had to cease operations in most of South Florida due to Isaac’s impact and it is highly likely Isaac will impact collections in Northwest Florida as the storm moves closer. The time to donate is now,” said Betty Roberts, spokesperson for the Northwest Florida Blood Center. “All blood types are urgently needed especially Rh negative blood types and platelets. Any person who is eligible to donate is encouraged to do so now, before the storm.”
In Escambia County, donations can be made at:
- Main Center, 1999 East 9 Mile Road (just east of Target).
- 9th Avenue Center, 2209 North 9th Avenue.
City Of Pensacola To Suspend Operations Tuesday
August 27, 2012
The City of Pensacola will suspend non-essential operations , Tuesday, August 28, ahead of Tropical Storm Isaac’s projected landfall to the west of the city. All City facilities, including City Hall, City of Pensacola neighborhood resource centers, West Florida Public Library branches, and all other City offices will close for the day.
The City of Pensacola will suspend sanitation collection on Tuesday, August 28, ahead of Tropical Storm Isaac’s projected landfall along the central Gulf Coast. Tuesday’s normal garbage, recycling, and yard trash collections will be delayed until Wednesday, August 29. Special pick-ups will also be suspended until Wednesday.
City sanitation customers normally scheduled for Tuesday collection should not place garbage and recycling containers at curbside until tropical storm force winds have passed and collection can resume on Wednesday. The projected collection schedule is subject to change depending on the projected path of the storm.
Pensacola and Escambia County remain under a Hurricane Warning, with hurricane conditions expected within the next 48 hours. The Escambia County Board of County Commissioners declared a Local State of Emergency at 3:10 p.m. on Sunday, August 26, 2012.
Escambia County has also issued an order of evacuation for Zones A, B and C. That area includes most of Downtown Pensacola south of Garden Street as well as portions of the Sanders Beach neighborhood. Residents can check www.bereadyescambia.com and use the address look-up tool to confirm whether or not they are in an evacuation zone.
The Escambia County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was activated at 7:00 am on Monday, August 27. Escambia County has also activated the Citizen Information Center (CIC), allowing residents to call (850) 471-6600 for information.
Pensacola International Airport: As of 8:00 AM CDT Monday, Pensacola International Airport (PNS) remains open, but due to inclement weather statewide, the Airport is experiencing airline cancellations. PNS recommends passengers contact their air carrier for flight information. Phone numbers for airlines can be found at www.flypensacola.com.
What Can Escambia County Expect From Isaac?
August 27, 2012
The North Escambia area can expect strong winds and heavy rains if Isaac makes landfall near New Orleans as forecast.
Forecasts are below for both the northern half and the southern half (scroll down) of Escambia County.
Here is the current North Escambia area forecast for Isaac:
- Tonight: Tropical storm conditions possible with hurricane conditions also possible. Cloudy. Showers and thunderstorms likely. Lows in the mid 70s. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph becoming 25 to 30 mph with gusts to around 40 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation 70 percent.
- Tuesday: Tropical storm conditions expected with hurricane conditions possible. Showers and thunderstorms. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Highs in the mid 80s. East winds 30 to 35 mph becoming 25 to 35 mph in the afternoon. Gusts up to 50 mph. Chance of precipitation 80 percent.
- Tuesday Night: Tropical storm conditions expected with hurricane conditions possible. Showers and thunderstorms. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Near steady temperature in the upper 70s. Southeast winds 30 to 40 mph with gusts to around 50 mph. Chance of precipitation 80 percent.
- Wednesday: Tropical storm conditions possible. Showers and thunderstorms. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Highs in the mid 80s. Southeast winds 30 to 40 mph with gusts to around 50 mph. Chance of precipitation 80 percent.
- Wednesday Night: Breezy…cloudy. Showers and thunderstorms likely. Near steady temperature in the upper 70s. Chance of precipitation 60 percent.
- Thursday: Mostly cloudy. Showers and thunderstorms likely. Highs in the upper 80s. Chance of precipitation 70 percent.
- Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy. Chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 70s. Chance of precipitation 40 percent.
Here is the current southern Escambia forecast for Isaac:
- Tonight: Tropical storm conditions expected with hurricane conditions possible. Showers and thunderstorms. Near steady temperature around 80. Inland…northeast winds 20 to 25 mph becoming east 30 to 35 mph after midnight. Along the coast… Northeast winds 25 to 30 mph becoming east 25 to 35 mph after midnight. Gusts up to 40 mph becoming 45 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation 90 percent.
- Tuesday: Tropical storm conditions expected with hurricane conditions possible. Showers and thunderstorms. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Highs in the mid 80s. Inland…east winds 25 to 35 mph becoming 30 to 40 mph in the afternoon. Along the coast…east winds 30 to 40 mph becoming 35 to 45 mph in the afternoon. Gusts up to 55 mph. Chance of precipitation 80 percent.
- Tuesday Night: Tropical storm conditions expected with hurricane conditions possible. Showers and thunderstorms. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Near steady temperature around 80. Southeast winds 30 to 40 mph inland…southeast 35 to 45 mph along the coast. Gusts up to 55 mph. Chance of precipitation 80 percent.
- Wednesday: Tropical storm conditions possible. Showers and thunderstorms. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Near steady temperature in the lower 80s. Inland…south winds 30 to 40 mph. Along the coast…southeast winds 35 to 45 mph becoming south 30 to 40 mph in the afternoon. Gusts up to 55 mph. Chance of precipitation 80 percent.
- Wednesday Night: Windy…cloudy. Showers and thunderstorms likely. Near steady temperature in the upper 70s. Chance of precipitation 60 percent.
- Thursday: Mostly cloudy. Showers and thunderstorms likely. Highs in the upper 80s. Chance of precipitation 70 percent.
- Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy. Chance of showers and thunderstorms. Near steady temperature around 80. Chance of precipitation 40 percent.
- Friday: Mostly cloudy. Chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs around 90. Chance of precipitation 50 percent.
- Friday Night: Mostly cloudy. Slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 70s. Chance of precipitation 20 percent.
- Saturday: Mostly cloudy. Chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs around 90. Chance of precipitation 40 percent.
- Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy. Slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 70s. Chance of precipitation 20 percent.
- Sunday: Mostly cloudy. Chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 80s. Chance of precipitation 40 percent.
Race Against Time To Save Area Corn Crop
August 27, 2012
North Escambia area farmers are in a race against time to save their corn crops.
With the approach of Isaac, Escambia Grain in Walnut Hill has been open 24 hours a day for most of the past week to accept the harvesting corn for storage or market.
“There is still a considerable amount of corn in the field and chances are that high winds will blow the corn over and make it hard or impossible to harvest,” said Escambia Grain manager James Formby.
With a plentiful harvest, Formby said his grain elevator as well as most other grain facilities in the area are almost at capacity.
Corn prices reached an all-time high in June of this year, and the drought across large portions of the U.S. has keep prices high.
Pictured above: A load of corn is weighed Sunday morning at Escambia Grain in Walnut Hill. Pictured below: Trucks line up along Arthur Brown Road waiting to unload. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Update: Only Two Shelters To Remain Open In Escambia County
August 27, 2012
Only two shelters are to remain open in Escambia County. They are at Pensacola and West Florida high schools.
Cantonment Ballpark Cancels All Practices
August 27, 2012
There will be no practices at the Cantonment Ballpark until further notice.
The park will be secured Monday and an assessment will be done on the property and fields on Thursday.