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Escambia County Local Irma Update
September 9, 2017
Here is the latest local Hurricane Irma information update from Escambia County from Saturday afternoon:
Current Situation
- There ARE NO evacuations ordered for Escambia County residents, no matter the location.
- According to the National Weather Service in Mobile, Alabama, Irma is still expected to take a northward turn near the Florida peninsula late tonight into early Sunday. The most significant impacts associated with Irma are expected to remain east of our area through early next week. Breezy northeasterly to northerly winds will be likely, especially Monday and Monday night.
- Escambia County Emergency Operation Center is at a level 3, or monitoring level. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and through the weekend to provide our residents with the most up-to-date hurricane information.
- The State Emergency Operations Center has been activated to level 1, which is a full-scale, 24-hours-a-day activation. DEM estimates that 6.3 million Floridians have been ordered to evacuate.
- The Florida Emergency Information Line has been activated and is available 24/7 for families and visitors at 1-800-342-3557.
- Visit www.floridadisaster.org to find information on shelters, road closures, and evacuation routes.
- Sign up for Escambia County updates at www.MyEscambia.com and clicking the subscribe button.
- Learn what to do before, during and after by downloading our latest disaster guide at myescambia.com.
Weather Update from National Weather Service/National Hurricane Center
- Irma is expected to make landfall in Florida as an extremely dangerous major hurricane, bringing life-threatening wind impacts to much of the state. Wind hazards from Irma are also expected to spread northward along the coast of Georgia and South Carolina. The most significant impacts associated with Irma are expected to remain east of our area through early next week. Breezy northeasterly to northerly winds will be likely, especially Monday and Monday night.
- Keep in mind that some fluctuations in track and intensity are still possible.
Host Shelters
- As requested by the state, Escambia County and the American Red Cross are opened a shelter at the Pensacola Bay Center located at 201 E. Gregory St. at 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8. The shelter is for south Florida evacuees. There are currently NO EVACUATIONS ordered for Escambia County.
- General shelter population: 45
- Special needs shelter population: 0
- Animal shelter population: 19
- Additional shelters will be opened as needed and directed by the state of Florida.
- The Escambia County Equestrian Center is being open as a host shelter for evacuees’ horses . Stalls and RV sites are available at a first come, first served basis. The stall fees have been waived. For more information, visit https://myescambia.com/our-services/parks-and-recreation/equestrian-center/equestrian-center-as-a-storm-shelter.
- Horse population: 50
- Visit floridadisaster.org/shelters/summary.aspx to find information on shelters in your area. This site is being updated as shelters open throughout the day.
Hotels/Lodging
- The Escambia County area hotels are at 92-98 percent capacity through the weekend. Currently, the interstate accommodations are the most occupied, with openings on Pensacola Beach.
- Visit Pensacola has information available at https://www.visitpensacola.com/emergency-updates/
- Through VISIT FLORIDA’s partnership with Expedia, Expedia.com/Florida has been activated to provide accommodations availability information for visitors, residents and first responders.
- VISIT FLORIDA’s Welcome Centers have transitioned to emergency information centers to help direct evacuees with the most up to date information.
Volunteering & Donations
- Florida needs 1,000 volunteer nurses to help at our special needs shelters. Nurses who can volunteer can email BPRCHDPreparedness@FLHealth.gov Nurses can also email HelpFL@FLhealth.gov.
- Volunteer Florida is coordinating with volunteer organizations across the state and has partnered with the American Red Cross to provide shelter operations training to volunteers and AmeriCorps grantees. Floridians who would like to volunteer can register at http://redcross.org/volunteer
- Gov. Rick Scott activated the Florida Disaster Fund to support individuals who are impacted by Hurricane Irma. The Florida Disaster Fund helps provide financial support to Florida’s communities in times of disaster. To make a contribution, please visit www.FloridaDisasterFund.org or text DISASTER to 20222 to make a one-time donation of $10.
Gas/Fuel
- Gov. Scott has taken several actions to help mitigate fuel shortages, read more at http://www.flgov.com/2017/09/07/gov-scott-were-working-aggressively-to-get-more-fuel-to-gas-stations/
- To check fuel availability online, go to https://gasbuddy.com
Schools
- Gov. Rick Scott is directing all public K-12 schools, state colleges, state universities and state offices to close Monday, Sept. 11.
- All University of West Florida locations are closed and classes are canceled Monday, Sept. 11. On-campus housing continues to operate as usual. The Health, Leisure and Sports Facility hours are 12 to 6 p.m. and the Aquatic Center hours are 1 to 6 p.m. through Monday, Sept. 11. All other services, activities and events, including all home athletic events, are cancelled.
County & State Offices
- All county offices are open Monday, Sept. 11.
- Governor Rick Scott has directed all state offices in all 67 Florida counties to close Monday, Sept. 11
Florida Department of Health – Escambia
- All FDOH-Escambia clinics, including WIC and Immunizations clinics, and all other services provided by FDOH-Escambia, will be suspended on Friday, September 8, 2017 and on Monday, September 11, 2017. Clients with appointments scheduled for these dates, may call 850-595-6500 on Tuesday, September 12, 2017, to reschedule their appointment.
- ProMed Dental services at FDOH-Escambia’s Northside and Molino Service Centers will be suspended on Friday September 8, 2017 and on Monday, September 11, 2017. Patients who have dental appointments with ProMed Dental may call 850-912-8923 or 850-471-6983 for rescheduling.
- Escambia Community Clinics (ECC) pediatric and dental services at FDOH-Escambia’s Fairfield Drive Service Center will have normal operations. Patients who have dental or pediatric clinic appointments with ECC will still be able to receive their scheduled services.
Pensacola International Airport
- While many southern and eastern Florida airports are closed, Pensacola International Airport is currently open and will remain open as long as Hurricane Irma does not severely impact our area.
- Passengers with scheduled travel to impacted areas are strongly encouraged to monitor the status of their flight by frequently visiting their airline’s website.
Storm Preparation
- Review/make your family plan. Need help? Read more on how to care for your family here.
- Know your zone. Look up your address online at http://bit.ly/2vGzR1R. You can search by address or parcel number and then look for the “Emergency Management Report.” The address function is self-populating, so type slowly and then choose the address from the drop down list.
- Restock your disaster kit supplies/get a kit. if we aren’t impacted by Irma, your preparations won’t be a waste, as we haven’t yet reached the height of hurricane season. You’ll be ready for the next storm. Click here to see our latest disaster guide shopping list.
- Stay Informed – A tropical system can develop very quickly. Be sure you take time every day to monitor the local media. Escambia County also has several tools available for our residents. Learn more here. Monitor local media and legitimate online and social media sources like Escambia County Emergency Management, US National Weather Service Mobile, NOAA NWS National Hurricane Center and Florida SERT.
- Prep your yard - As we are entering the height of hurricane season, it is also recommended that residents take a few minutes to inspect their home and yard. Check for, fix or remove loose items on your home and sheds. Clear loose and clogged rain gutters and down spouts. Trim trees and shrubs around your home.
Comments
4 Responses to “Escambia County Local Irma Update”
The schools were closed so that they can be used as shelters if needed. There are thousands of people headed this way, and we need somewhere to house them. We have to look out for each other during times of need.
Yeah Mike
It was a decision made by the governor of the state of Florida.
Mike they had schools closed in case they needed to make them into shelters for evacuees. Now days they won’t (can’t) have strangers in schools when students are present.
Why were the schools closed Friday and remain closed Monday? We are not going to have any impact from the hurricane, we have 1 place open for evacuees, which is not Escambia schools, why, why should the schools be closed? Can anyone explain this?