Florida Mops Up After Hurricane Matthew
October 10, 2016
President Barack Obama has made Florida eligible for disaster aid in eight counties as the state continues to recover from the impact of Hurricane Matthew.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved aid to the state and local governments for debris removal and emergency protective measures in Brevard, Duval, Flagler, Indian River, Nassau, St. Johns, St. Lucie and Volusia counties. A request for additional federal disaster aid for individuals and businesses and federal aid to repair roads and other public structures is pending.
“While we are blessed that Hurricane Matthew did not make landfall in Florida, there has been significant damage all across Florida’s east coast,” Gov. Rick Scott said in a statement Sunday.
Scott, who viewed storm damage in Jacksonville Beach on Sunday, said he has been traveling Florida’s east coast, from Brevard County to the Florida-Georgia state line, for the past three days. The governor said he has “seen homes wiped out, severe beach erosion, flood damage and down trees and power lines.”
“While the state is helping our communities any way we can, I am going to continue to fight for every available resource from the federal government so our families and businesses can rebuild and get back to normal,” Scott said. “We are going to continue to submit requests to the federal government until they fulfill our entire disaster declaration.”
The lingering impact of Hurricane Matthew has resulted in public school closings in seven districts on Monday, meaning approximately 360,000 students will be delayed in returning to their K-12 classrooms. The Monday closures include Duval, St. Johns, Nassau, Clay and Brevard counties.
Volusia and Flagler County officials reported they expect their schools to remain closed through Tuesday.
“Although district and school staff have already deep cleaned schools that were used as shelters and are removing fallen trees from pickup and drop-off areas, over a dozen schools remain without power,” said a statement from the Duval school system, which has 128,000 K-12 students.
“We also have street lights near schools that are not working with downed power lines. Additionally, we have heard from a number of our employees and families regarding the challenges of returning to their homes after the evacuation, including ongoing power outages,” the school system said.
Scott said he spoke Sunday morning with school superintendents in the counties impacted by the storm, asking them “to make sure all schools are able to quickly reopen.”
“We have to do all we can to get every school to reopen because we have to keep our students learning,” Scott said.
The governor said he has offered “the full resources of the state,” including help from members of the Florida National Guard if requested, to make sure the schools open immediately.
Students in many districts missed school days last week as the storm approached Florida, and students in seven districts will miss at least one day in the coming week. The students will have to make up the lost academic time.
For instance, Orange County has announced students will make up two lost days from last week on Oct. 28 and April 28.
Another lingering impact from Matthew are power outages, with the governor’s office reporting some 374,000 homes and businesses remained without power as of mid-afternoon on Sunday.
The highest number of outages was in Duval County, where 120,000 homes and businesses lacked electricity, and Volusia County, with 112,000. The power outages were the most widespread in Flagler County, where 62 percent of the county — about 36,500 customers — was without power.
But progress has been made since the peak of the storm’s impact Friday, when some 1.2 million Florida homes and businesses were without power, with the current outage figure meaning about two-thirds of those outages have been restored.
Scott talked to utility companies late Sunday afternoon for an update on their efforts to restore power, according to his schedule.
It also became clear on Sunday that Florida would avoid a “double whammy” from Matthew, as the latest projections from the National Hurricane Center show the storm will be well northeast of Bermuda by Monday night, heading out into the North Atlantic Ocean.
Scott and other officials had fretted about earlier projections showing the storm could turn south and potentially impact Florida a second time.
by Lloyd Dunkelberger, The News Service of Florida
Manhunt Underway For Escaped State Inmate From Atmore Prison
October 10, 2016
A manhunt is underway for a state prisoner that escaped from an Atmore facility Monday evening.
Jerry Lynn Hilburn, 40, escaped from the J. O. Davis Correctional Center, an annex facility of Fountain Correctional Facility, about 5:30 p.m.
Hilburn is described as a white male that is 6-foot, 2-inches tall, 214 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing his state-issued white prison uniform.
He was three years into a 20 year sentence out of Mobile for possession of controlled substance. He was a minimum in-custody inmate, not work release.
Anyone with information on Hilburn’s whereabouts is asked to call their local law enforcement agency or 911.
Attempted Murder Suspect Arrested
October 10, 2016
A man wanted on an attempted murder charge in in connection with a shooting that occurred Saturday has been arrested.
Ray Charles Bullard, 24, of Pensacola was taken into custody around Monday in the 500 block of East Fairfield Drive. He also was charged with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.
The incident occurred just before 6 p.m. October 8. An officer found the victim lying on the ground on the southwest side of a home in the 400 block of East Scott Street.
The victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment and remains in critical condition. A motive remains under investigation.
The victim’s name is not yet being released because of the on-going investigation.
Anyone having information on his location or the incident is asked to contact Detective Gilbert Galloway at (850) 435- 1974 or the Pensacola Police Department at (850) 435-1900.
Matthew: EREC Provides Bunk Trailer Housing For Utility Crews
October 10, 2016
EREC has sent five bunk trailers and a shower trailer to Okefenokee Rural Electric Cooperative in Nahunta, GA, one of the co-ops in Hurricane Matthew’s path, to be used by electric co-op crewmen during power restoration.
One of the biggest challenges facing electric utilities during power restoration after disasters such as hurricanes is lodging.
“It is difficult at best to find housing for hundreds or even thousands of workers in an area whose infrastructure has been devastated. For this purpose, EREC acquired trailers and renovated them into bunk housing,” said Clay Campbell, EREC general manager/CEO.
EREC has five trailers which will sleep 33 people each and a shower trailer with 10 showers and sinks. The trailers are self-contained, each equipped with its own generator. The sleeper trailers have central heat/air and individual lockers for each occupant. Each bunk has overhead lighting and electrical outlets for cell phone charging. The bottom row of bunks has nighttime floor lighting as well.
Pictured top: EREC crewmen Mark LeFlore, Philip Gandy, Jordan Jackson and Ken Blair will set up the bunk trailers and shower trailer for use by restoration line crews. Wesley Clark and Danny Duncan are also delivering bunk trailers for use by Okefenokee Rural EC but were unavailable of the time of the photo. Pictured inset: Bunk trailer. Pictured below: Each bunk trailer will sleep 33 people. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Bonus Gallery: Tate Vs. Pace
October 10, 2016
For a bonus gallery from Friday night’s Tate vs. Pace game, click here.
For a story and photo gallery from Markus Baxley’s touchdown, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Century Church Building Destroyed By Fire; Arson Suspected
October 9, 2016
A fire that destroyed a Century church building early Sunday morning is under investigation as a possible case of arson.
Neighbors reported hearing an explosion before looking outside to see the Wesley Chapel Church on Jefferson Avenue fully involved in flames. The building was a complete and total loss. There were no injuries reported.
The church building had sat empty since a February 15 EF-3 tornado ripped through Century, causing significant damage to the building. The congregation had continued to meet each Sunday in the local County on Aging building. A church member said they had recently decided to dismantle the old building board by board, hoping to salvage and use as much of the wood as possible from the 1934 structure.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office. The building reportedly had no utility service.
The blaze also damaged a neighboring house, melting away the vinyl siding.
The Century, Walnut Hill and McDavid stations of Escambia Fire Rescue, the Flomaton Fire Department, the Jay Fire Department, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and Escambia EMS responded to the blaze.
Pictured above: Fire destroyed the Wesley Chapel Church building in Century Sunday morning. Pictured below: The cause of the fire is under investigation. Pictured bottom: A photo showing the church before the fire and before February tornado damage. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Teen Airlifted After Nokomis Rollover Crash
October 9, 2016
A Northview High School student was airlifted to a Pensacola hospital after a single vehicle crash in Nokomis Saturday afternoon.
The 17-year old female lost control of her vehicle on Albritton Road, just north of Nokomis Road. The vehicle overturned, coming to rest upright. She was briefly trapped in the vehicle, with firefighters forced to use the Jaws of Life to free her.
She was transported by Atmore Ambulance to the Walnut Hill Fire Station and then airlifted as a “trauma alert” by LifeFlight helicopter to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. An update on her condition was not available.
The accident remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
Pictured: Firefighters use the Jaws of Life to extricate a teen trapped in a single vehicle accident Saturday in Nokomis. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Editor’s note: The driver is covered with a sheet as protection from glass as the Jaws of Life were used.
Scott: Trump Remarks ‘Absolutely Wrong’
October 9, 2016
Gov. Rick Scott expressed disapproval of lewd comments by Donald Trump that emerged Friday, but stopped short of condemning the Republican presidential hopeful.
Scott chairs a super PAC backing the GOP nominee.
“I think what he said was wrong,” Scott said while making an appearance at Jacksonville’s Cecil Field to discuss Hurricane Matthew recovery efforts. “I don’t know why anybody would say things like that. I think it’s absolutely wrong.”
But when asked if he still supported Trump, Scott turned back to Hurricane Matthew recovery.
“There is going to be a time for politics,” Scott said. “Right now we’ve got one million people, I think, still without power. We’re working hard to get everybody back to work. There will still be plenty of time for politics when this is over.”
Trump was recorded making lewd and sexually aggressive remarks in 2005 while taking part in an unaired segment for “Access Hollywood.” Video of his recorded remarks was released Friday, causing a firestorm throughout the political arena.
After issuing a statement on Friday in which he “apologized if anyone was offended,” Trump, who has struggled to attract female voters, issued a defiant 90-second video early Saturday, apologizing and calling the 2005 tape a “distraction.”
“I’ve never said I’m a perfect person nor pretended to be someone that I’m not. I’ve said and done things I regret and the words released today, on this more than a decade old video, are one of them,” he said in the video released by his campaign. “I was wrong and I apologize,” he added.
Trump also attempted to shift from his own gaffe, which elicited condemnation from numerous fellow Republicans, to the conduct of former President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary, the Democratic presidential nominee.
“I’ve said some foolish things but there is a big difference between the words and actions of other people. Bill Clinton has actually abused women,” he asserted.
For Scott, the question about Trump’s recorded comment is the second political issue he’s sidestepped this week by focusing on Matthew.
Scott said Thursday and Friday he had no intention of extending the state’s voter registration period, despite being urged to do so by the Clinton campaign, Democratic members of Florida’s Congressional delegation, the League of Women Voters of Florida and the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.
Tuesday is the last day to register in Florida for the Nov. 8 election.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
IP Pensacola Mill Celebrates 75 Years Of Operations
October 9, 2016
The International Paper Pensacola Mill in Cantonment celebrated 75 years of operation on Saturday. The front lawn of the plant transformed into a day of fun for retirees, employees and their families with games, kids activities, arts and crafts, music, food and more.
The Pensacola Mill started operations with one paper machine on a 600 acre site in 1941. The new mill was built at a cost of $2.5 million and was owned by Florida Pulp and Paper Company. The mill produced 75 tons of paper, or 20,000 tons per year. The mill provided jobs for about 620 people — 370 in the mill and 250 in forestry or related positions.
A second machine came on line with a daily production of 75 tons of paper in 1944 to produce ammunition container board.
The Pensacola Mill became a wholly owned subsidiary of the St. Regis Paper Company in 1946 and merged with St. Regis in 1949.
Champion International Corporation and St. Regis merged in 1984, and International Paper acquired Champion in 2000.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Matthew Recovery Underway In Florida
October 9, 2016
After being pelted by a brutal storm that killed at least five Floridians, the state has shifted into recovery mode while still keeping tabs on deadly Hurricane Matthew.
The massive hurricane wiped out power to more than 1 million customers in the Sunshine State as it inched it way up the East Coast Thursday and Friday.
But the eye of Matthew, which caused massive flooding and hundreds of deaths in Haiti, did not make landfall until the storm approached the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge in South Carolina on Saturday.
For that, Gov. Rick Scott — who traveled throughout Florida in anticipation of Matthew’s arrival, calling for people to evacuate with the warning that the storm “is going to kill people” — said during a press conference at Jacksonville’s Cecil Field on Saturday that Florida was “blessed.”
“If it had a direct impact hit, it would have been a lot worse for our families,” Scott said.
Scott thanked those who heeded his warnings and said he hoped they would obey orders to evacuate in the future.
“That’s what I worry about now,” Scott said. “You look at the loop of this thing. It’s going to come back around, maybe. Are people going to take it seriously enough?”
Forecast models from the National Hurricane Center on Friday had the path of Matthew possibly looping back to South Florida, as a depression or tropical storm, by the middle of next week. On Saturday, updated tracking models still showed the storm making a southern turn in the open Atlantic, but much further offshore than originally predicted.
After a helicopter tour along the Atlantic coast from Daytona Beach to Jacksonville on Saturday morning, Scott described seeing “mucky” waters, “unbelievable” beach erosion, pockets of damaged coastal roads, downed trees and downed power lines, and flooding.
“From the helicopter, you can’t see the downed power lines as easy, but you can see the beach erosion. It’s really bad,” Scott said.
Inspections were of barrier-island bridges were underway, and tolls remained suspended through at least Sunday night, to allow evacuees to return home. About 5,900 people remained in 70 shelters throughout early Saturday afternoon.
Law enforcement agencies and members of the Florida National Guard continued search and rescue operations Saturday. Scott has deployed 3,500 members of the Guard for the hurricane.
All airports except the Northeast Florida Regional Airport in Saint Augustine have reopened, along with all seaports except JAXPort and the Port of Fernandina.
“Boy this state is a resilient state,” Scott said. “We know there is a lot of work to do, but this state is going to come back.”
Three deaths linked to the storm were reported in St. Lucie County, along with one fatality each in Putnam and Volusia counties.
The number is far short of reports from Haiti, where Matthew is blamed for the deaths of at least 271 by the island’s Civil Protection Agency. Reuters, citing local officials, has reported the number could surpass 842 deaths.
By mid-day Saturday, the number of Florida homes and businesses without power was down from a peak of 1.13 million —11 percent of all utility customers — late Friday to 763,828, about 7 percent of the state’s utility customers.
The largest number of power outages remained in Duval, Volusia and Brevard counties.
As of Saturday morning, Jacksonville Electric Authority reported that 227,000 customers, mostly in Duval County, were without power and 3,500 lacked water.
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry promised that the city would work as quickly as possible to restore services.
“There’s a lot of people in pain right now, people without electricity. People are hungry. They’re tired,” Curry, appearing with Scott Saturday morning, said. “We’re going to ride each other hard. We’re going to ride our utility. We’re going to ride all of our workers to get this community back together as quickly and as a safely as possible.”
Juno Beach-based Florida Power & Light, the state’s largest utility, pledged that power would be restored to all essential customers by the end of Sunday, while pockets that have been flooded and severely damaged may take until Monday.
“We have made significant progress restoring power to our customers in the southern and western parts of the state, and we won’t stop working around the clock until everyone’s lights are back on,” FPL President & CEO Eric Silagy said in a statement.
The company reported that power had been restored to 725,000 homes impacted by the storm, while another 400,000 were still in the dark.
Duke Energy Florida also expected to have the bulk of its customers back on-line by Sunday after a little more than 200,000 — mostly in Orange, Seminole, Volusia and Lake counties — customers lost power this week.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida