Amtrak Train Rolls Into Atmore This Afternoon Early
February 18, 2016
Residents of Atmore and the North Escambia area are encouraged to meet an Amtrak inspection train as it rolls into Atmore this afternoon in advance preparation for the possible return of passenger rail service to cities like Pensacola and Atmore.
The train is set to arrive at 2:11 p.m. (20 minutes earlier than first announced) at the Atmore Train Station downtown. They will greeted by music from the Escambia County High School Jazz Band, and the VIP’s will walk through a ceremonial sword arch provided by the Northview High School NJROTC.
The train will leave the passengers behind as it departs at 2:41 p.m., just before speeches from Atmore Mayor Jim Staff, Amtrak Chairman Joe Boardman and Southern Rail Commission Chairman Gregory White. The passengers will then be bused to the Wind Creek Casino for a press conference and a reception, and many will spend the night in the Wind Creek Hotel.
The passengers will then board buses to Pensacola to an 8 a.m. departure on February 19, with stops later that day in Crestview, Chipley and Tallahassee before an arrival that night in Jacksonville.
Pictured: Today’s Amtrak train in Gulfport, MS, (top), Gulfport, MS, (inset) and New Orleans (bottom). Photos by David Gehman for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Four Children Perish In Escambia County House Fire
February 18, 2016
An Escambia County house fire claimed the lives of four children this morning in Escambia County.
Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the 5:28 a.m. call in the 2500 block of North Baylen Street in Pensacola to find small wood frame home fully involved in fire. Four children — an 11-year old male, 5-year old male, 3-year old female, and and 11-month old female perished in the blaze. They were discovered in a back bedroom of the 700-square foot home.
The mother, Curtisa Johnson, and her 15-year-old daughter, Lakeisha King, escaped without injury.
There were no working smoke detectors in the home, according to firefighters. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Price, click to enlarge.
Man Killed By Falling Tree
February 18, 2016
A man was killed Thursday morning in Escambia County when a tree, or a large tree limb, fell on him. It happened about 9 a.m. on Malvern Street, just south of Jackson Street. The man was pronounced deceased on the scene. Details about the accident and the man’s name have not yet been released. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Price, click to enlarge.
State EMA Director Tours Tornado Damage, Looking For State Aid
February 18, 2016
Concern over tornado recovery efforts in Century continued to mount Wednesday as residents learned that the area likely won’t qualify for FEMA assistance. But one state department leader says his agency will work to find any available state dollars to assist.
Gov. Rick Scott visited with Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan in Pensacola for a briefing on the EF-3 tornado and recovery efforts, but Scott did not visit Century. Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management Bryan Koon did visit Century — first attending a briefing with Escambia County and Century leaders at the Century Fire Station.
NorthEscambia.com was along with County Administrator Jack Brown and Dosh as Koon was driven around the damaged areas in Century for about 25 minutes, but he never got out of the truck or talked with any of the tornado victims.
“I talked to the folks with the city commission and the county commission, some of the emergency managers. I’ve talked to some of the volunteer organizations involved with that and I think that gave me a pretty good idea of what the situation looks like on the ground,” he said. “”We got a good idea of just how badly the storm impacted the community,” he said. “I saw a real sense of community here in Century. I was pleased about that and their effort to get back up on their feet as quickly as possible.”
“I’ll take the data and what I have seen today back to Tallahassee and start working with the other state agencies that are involved in this sort of thing,” he said. “We’ll start looking at what are the types of assistance that may be available. in these kinds of situations. It’s might be through the Small Business Administration, it might be through the Florida Housing Finance Cooperation, it might be through Volunteer Florida. There’s a lot of stuff going on here through Escambia County, BRACE and other organizations. So we are going to go back and piece together all of the different opportunities that may be available to the citizens to help them recover.’
But it may be weeks before Century sees any funding the state might find.
“It’s not as fast as possible, unfortunately. The best case scenario is that you’ve got insurance, and your insurance agent comes out here and writes you a check,” Koon said. “But I know for many of these citizens that don’t have insurance the recovery process can take a little while for the governmental processes to understand what is going on and spin up. So it could be a couple of weeks before they would see any of the assistance..”
Of the 110 homes that impacted by the storm, most were probably not covered by insurance, according to Brown.
Escambia County Emergency Management Director John Dosh said a federal disaster declaration from the White House would require documented losses of over $25 million in the county. He said it is extremely unlikely for the tornado damage to totals to be anywhere near $25 million. Without the federal disaster declaration, FEMA funds will not be released.
“Our hearts go out to anybody that was impacted by this storm; we are going to go back and see everything we can to help them get back up on their feet,” Koon said. “This is one of those situation where we really want to do everything we can to get the community back up because it looks like a strong community, and old community that’s been here a long time. A very close-knit community judging by what I saw out there today…we will work with every agency we can and find out how we can bring assistance.”
Pictured top: Escambia County Administrator Jack Brown (left) discusses tornado recovery with Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management Bryan Koon Wednesday afternoon in Century. Pictured below: (L-R) Escambia County Commissioner Steven Barry, Florida Department of Economic Development Director Cissy Proctor, Century Council President Ben Boutwell and Florida Division of Emergency Management Bryan Koon Wednesday afternoon at the Century Fire Station, which was being used as a command center. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Century Declares State Of Emergency
February 18, 2016
The Town of Century officially declared a state of emergency Wednesday afternoon.
The emergency declaration allows the mayor, or his representative, to make emergency purchases and repairs outside the normal day to day limits imposed by the town charter. It also allows the town to seek additional public assistance and implement emergency plans.
Escambia County is also expected to declare a local state of emergency due to tornado damage in areas outside Century.
Our View: Gov. Scott Should Look Tornado Victims In The Eye
February 18, 2016
Governor Rick Scott was in Pensacola Wednesday, visiting with Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan to learn about the tornado damage in Century.
Really governor? You just can’t set foot in North Escambia? We are extremely disappointed and want to know where is the compassion in that?
We’ve been behind the scenes – in the command post and in the midst of the destruction since just minutes after the tornado hit. The Sheriff’s Office has done an excellent and commendable job in Century, so Sheriff Morgan was certainly qualified to relate information about the situation. We have nothing but praise for the hard working men and women of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and their response to the Century tornado. The Sheriff and his department are not any part of our issue.
Escambia County Administrator Jack Brown, Commissioner Steven Barry, Century Council President Ben Boutwell and very long list of county department heads and key personnel were in Century Wednesday afternoon and could have filled you in , as they did your EMA director that did visit. He took a 25 minute vehicle tour of the damage, but, strangely enough, never stepped outside the vehicle in the damaged area to speak to a single victim.
But to not set foot in Century was, in our view, inexcusable for the top leader of our state that was instead inside an office just 45 miles away. The “at a distance” meeting was nothing more than a slap in the face to those in their time of suffering.
Let us remind you, that according to 2008–2012 American Community Survey data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Century is the poorest town (over 1,000 population) in the entire state. Century is anything but a poster child for your “Let’s Get To Work” campaign. But this should not have been about politics, political parties or political ambitions.
This is about the elderly lady that lived near Jefferson Avenue. She worked hard, very hard, for 60-70 years for what she had until Monday’s tornado. She begged us Monday for information about her home, but we had been unable to reach it. On Tuesday, we climbed over downed trees, and power lines and fences to get pictures of her home. We found her later in the day helping her neighbors and were able to show her photos of her destroyed home. We held her as she cried.
This is about the Healthy Start office that was flooded due to roof damage. We stopped by and helped them pour water out of their computers. They don’t know how they are going to provide WIC services next week for the babies they serve.
This is about standing in the shadows of the Lord’s house…the historic Methodist Church moved from it’s foundation. This is about talking to church members and learning that the wooden building may be off its foundation, but the church — the people — remain firm in their foundation and praise for the Lord.
This is about walking the streets and seeing the magnitude of the destruction and understanding that pictures, or a briefing from officials is not the same. But you know that Governor, from your visit last month to see the Siesta Key tornado damage, like a roof ripped off a condo building by the EF-2 tornado. For those that don’t know, Siesta Key has an average family income four or five times that of Century.
It’s about the people in Century who don’t know what they will do without state and federal aid as they look at their homes in shambles, their belongings scattered everywhere. Many of them honestly didn’t have much in this old world. But sometimes when have very little you treasure it more.
This is about the lady with no insurance on Pond Street who now has no home. Yes, she could have done the responsible thing and purchased insurance, but she chose to work the best job she could find and use the money on other things…like food for her children. Oh, and by the way Governor, her little kids are still looking for their beloved cat. He’s a grey tabby with “big and sad” eyes, and the kids are more worried about him than they are their home with no roof.
Those are just a few of the things you can learn walking through the destruction in Century.
Governor, Century is not just your state’s poorest little town. It’s a place full of people rich beyond belief in their love for their little town and each other. Perhaps you have to deny them assistance under existing state and federal regulations, but the least you could have done is stood with them and looked them in the eye.
EMA: 109 Structures Damaged Or Destroyed By Tornado
February 18, 2016
New information Wednesday afternoon from Escambia County Emergency Management indicates that 109 structures, mostly homes, were damaged in Florida by Monday’s tornado. The EF-3 tornado carved a 16.5 mile path up to 330 yards wide from Lambert Bridge Road near McDavid into Alabama. The tornado was at its worst as it tore through Century.
Escambia County Emergency Management Director John Dosh said 38 structures were destroyed, 36 received heavy damage and 35 were otherwise damaged by the tornado.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Have ‘Coffee With A Cop’ Today In Cantonment
February 18, 2016
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office will host a “Coffee With a Cop” this afternoon at 5:30 at the Greater First Baptist Church of Cantonment.
The Coffee with a Cop event provides an opportunity for community members to ask questions and learn more about what the ESCO is doing in their neighborhood.
Coffee with a Cop is a national initiative supported by the United States Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. Similar events are being held across the county, as local police departments, sheriff’s offices, and state police forces strive to make lasting connections with the communities they serve. The program aims to advance the practice of community policing through improving relationships between law enforcement and community members one cup of coffee at a time.
Pictured: A previous “Coffee With a Cop” event in Century. NorthEscambia.com file photo.
FHP: Man Runs Red Light, Causes Fatal Crash
February 18, 2016
A 68-year old Escambia County woman was killed in a three-vehicle crash Wednesday afternoon.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 32-year old Darrel Earl Daise ran a red light at intersection of Lillian Highway and 69th Avenue, colliding with a Toyota Camry driven by a 73-year old female.
Daise’s Chevrolet Tahoo then rolled over, rolling over the top of Grand Caravan driven by 68-year old Carline Ann Pepper. Pepper was transported to a local hospital were she was later pronounced deceased.
The Camry driver and Daise suffered serious injuries in the crash. Charges against Daise are pending, according to the FHP.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Two Days Later: Century Pharmacy Back Serving The Community
February 18, 2016
The Century Pharmacy was finally able to open their doors Wednesday, two days after the devastating EF-3 tornado hit Century.
The pharmacy on Mayo Street was in the hardest hit area of Century, an area that was closed to residents and business owners until Wednesday. The tornado blew out the store’s windows and caused other exterior damage like a torn-off awning. A downed tree cut natural gas service to the store’s generator.
By late Wednesday morning, the gas was back on and the store was running on generator power, and Gulf Power was able to make repairs and restore electric power by late afternoon.
“We have always been able to open the day after the storm in the past,” pharmacist and owner Julie Booth-Moran said, “even after the hurricanes. People depend on us for their medications. This was very hard to accept.”
Moran and her employees spent their morning cleaning up and getting ready to open as a steady stream of area residents stopped by to make sure that everyone was OK.
Pictured top: Century Pharmacy owner Julie Booth-Moran talks to a customer on the phone as she watches as Gulf Power work to restore electric service to the Mayo Street business in Century late Wednesday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
