Here’s How Gulf Power And EREC Are Restoring Power After Hurricane Sally
September 17, 2020
Almost all of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties were left without power due to Hurricane Sally. Now Gulf Power Company and Escambia River Electric Cooperative (EREC) say they are working hard to get the lights back on as soon as possible.
Escambia River – 95% Lost Power
By the time Sally was done, EREC reported 10,919 outages out of 11,463 total customers in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties — that was 95% of their customers without power. By late Wednesday night, the number of outages was down to 9,738.
Additional line crews were arriving locally to help EREC with power restoration.
“There are specific steps we must take,” said Sabina Owens, EREC’s vice president of marketing and communications, “to restore power to the largest number of people in the shortest amount of time. Crews will work around the clock to get everyone’s electricity back on as quickly and safely as possible.”
Gulf Power Restores 50,000 Plus
Wednesday afternoon, Gulf Power reported 145,920 outages among 153,000 customers in Escambia County; and 48,890 outages out of 74,200 customers in Santa Rosa County.
As of 6 p.m. Wednesday, Gulf Power announced that power had been restored to more than 50,000 customers affected by Hurricane Sally. That left 234,000 without power, mostly in Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties.
A Gulf Power workforce of nearly 7,000 people was committed to the power restoration effort. Florida Power & Light, Gulf’s sister company, provided about 1,800 employees that quickly went to work to restore power.
But the company said their power restoration efforts were hampered by significant flooding.
“Hurricane Sally’s strong winds, storm surge and flooding has caused significant damage to the energy grid and other critical infrastructure throughout Northwest Florida,” said Marlene Santos, president of Gulf Power. “Our crews worked throughout last night and in between feeder bands today to restore more than 50,000 outages and will continue to work tonight assessing damage and restoring power as it is safe to do so. Downed trees, flooding and closed or damaged roads and bridges will likely impact our ability to reach some areas. Nevertheless, we are committed to working around the clock until every customer has their lights back on.”
Significant, Record Flooding Expected On The Escambia And Perdido Rivers
September 17, 2020
Significant or even record flooding is expected at several rivers in southwest Alabama and Northwest Florida through Thursday, including the Escambia River and the Perdido River in North Escambia. The flooding is expected to persist through at least this weekend.
Escambia River
A flood warning continues for the Escambia River near Century until further notice.
Wednesday night, the river stage was 17.1 feet. The Escambia River is expect to rise to a crest of 25.2 feet early Friday afternoon. At 24.2 feet – the level of a record flood on March 18, 1990, water will enter several houses on Worley Road, Daffin Road and Fairground Rain in Molino
Perdido River
A flood warning continues for the Perdido River near Barrineau Park until Friday evening. Wednesday night, the stage was 22.3 feet, well above flood stage of 13 feet. The river is expected to rise to a crest of 22.4 feet on Thursday and fall below flood stage early Friday afternoon.
at 24.1 feet, water enters the first floor of houses built on stilts just north of Adventures Perdido River.
Here Is The Latest Escambia County Post Hurricane Sally Information Update
September 17, 2020
Here is the latest post Hurricane Sally update from Escambia County. It is a very long post, but contains a lot of valuable information.
- A 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew has been issued for Escambia County due to Hurricane Sally, effective at 7 p.m. tonight, Wednesday, Sept. 16. This curfew includes the City of Pensacola.
- On Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, Hurricane Sally made landfall near Gulf Shores, AL at 4:45 a.m. as a Category 2 with sustained winds of 105 mph and gusts 120+ mph.
- Escambia County sustained substantial damage due to wind and flooding.
- Officials are working to assess flooding and wind damage from Hurricane Sally. Everyone is encouraged to continue to shelter in place for as long as it remains safe to do so. Roadways are likely not safe for travel. There has been road damage in the county.
- Escambia County is working closely with State and Federal partners to assist in response and have requested multiple assets and personnel.
- Pensacola Energy asks the public to call 850-474-5307 if you smell gas.
- The Citizen Information Line is available 24 hours a day for residents to call with questions or concerns at: (850) 471-6600
- Everyone is encouraged to follow
Curfew Continues In Escambia County For The Next Two Nights
September 17, 2020
A county-wide curfew will be in place the next three nights in Escambia County, including Pensacola and Century, due to Hurricane Sally.
The curfew will be from 7 p.m. until 6 a.m.Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Officials will reassess the curfew on Friday.
Law enforcement will have roadblocks in place at some major roadways. The City of Pensacola is relying on voluntary compliance, and residents will be expected to follow the curfew.
Essential workers are not restricted by the curfew, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Boil Water Notice Continues For All ECUA Customers
September 17, 2020
ECUA is advising all customers to boil their water.
The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority has issued a system wide precautionary boil water notice (PBWN) for water system customers due to the significant and widespread damages sustained from Hurricane Sally.
Residents are advised to boil water for one minute at a rolling boil or to use 8 drops of regular unscented household bleach per gallon of water, for water to be used for drinking or cooking purposes.
ECUA crews are out in the field working to locate, isolate, and repair main breaks in order to restore service as quickly as possible. Although the majority ECUA customers remain in service, there are too many main breaks that require a PBWN for it to be practical to issue separate notices during this initial emergency response, the utility said.
Once the number of pending repairs is significantly reduced, the ECUA will revert to issuing separate notices for individual areas.ECUA said the yare asking for customers’ patience and understanding as they work to repair hundreds of water main breaks, giving priority to hospitals, dialysis centers, and other critical care facilities.
Lows In The 60s? Even The 50s? Finally, It’s Going To Cool Down
September 17, 2020
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Thursday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 81. Northwest wind around 10 mph.
Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 83. North wind around 5 mph.
Friday Night: Cloudy, with a low around 67. North wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 75. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 74. Northeast wind around 10 mph.
Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59. Northeast wind around 10 mph.
Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 75.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 58.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 77.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 59.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 79.
Rubio, Scott Want To Keep U.S. On Daylight Savings Time This Year
September 17, 2020
Florida Republican senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio have introduced legislation that would keep the United States on Daylight Saving Time (DST) through November 7, 2021.
By preventing the United States from “falling back” to Standard Time in six weeks, Americans would also avoid changing clocks in March 2021 when the United States typically springs forward into DST.
“The bill would provide one year of stability for families who are already dealing with enough change with virtual learning, work from home, and other disruptions the COVID-19 pandemic has placed into our daily lives,” according to a press release from Rubio.
“Our government has asked a lot of the American people over the past seven months, and keeping the nation on Daylight Saving Time is just one small step we can take to help ease the burden,” Rubio said. “More daylight in the after school hours is critical to helping families and children endure this challenging school year. Studies have shown many benefits of a year-round Daylight Saving Time, and while I believe we should make it permanent all year around, I urge my colleagues to — at the very least — work with me to avoid changing the clocks this fall.”
“After months of staying inside amid the coronavirus pandemic, families across the nation could use a little more sunshine and time to enjoy all that Florida has to offer,” Scott said. “I signed legislation as Governor to continue Daylight Saving Time year-round for Floridians, and I’m glad to join Senator Rubio to lead this effort in Congress.”
Recognizing legislative days prior to November 1 are limited, Senator Rubio will “Rule 14” the bill, which means the bill will bypass the Senate Committee on Commerce and be placed directly on the Senate calendar.
In March 2019, Senator Rubio re-introduced the Sunshine Protection Act, legislation that would make DST permanent across the country. The bill reflects the Florida legislature’s 2018 enactment of year-round DST; however, for Florida’s change to apply, a change in the federal statute is required. 11 other states —Delaware, Louisiana, Maine, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, Arkansas, Alabama, and Wyoming — have passed similar laws, and dozens more are looking. In 2018, California voters overwhelmingly passed a proposition to authorize the state legislature to move to permanent DST.
Curfew In Effect For Escambia County For The Next Three Nights
September 16, 2020
A county-wide curfew will be in place the next three nights in Escambia County, including Pensacola and Century, due to Hurricane Sally.
The curfew will be from 7 p.m. until 6 a.m.Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Officials will reassess the curfew on Friday.
Law enforcement will have roadblocks in place at some major roadways. The City of Pensacola is relying on voluntary compliance, and residents will be expected to follow the curfew.
Essential workers are not restricted by the curfew, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Almost All Of Escambia, Santa Rosa Counties Left Without Power
September 16, 2020
Almost all of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties were left without power following Hurricane Sally.
Here are the numbers from both counties as of Wednesday later afternoon:
Gulf Power reported 145,920 outages among 153,000 customers in Escambia County; and 48,890 outages out of 74,200 customers in Santa Rosa County.
Escambia River Electric (EREC) reported 10,919 outages out of 11,463 total customers in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
Both utilities said they are working to restore power as quickly and safely as possible.
File photo.
Health Advisory Issued For Water Bodies Including Rivers, Creeks, Gulf
September 16, 2020
Due to excessive flood and sewage overflows caused by the significant rainfall from Hurricane Sally, the Florida Department of Health in Escambia County has issued a health advisory for all inland and coastal waters including local rivers, streams, bayous, bays and the Gulf of Mexico.
DOH-Escambia advises against engaging in any water-related activities due to the potential for high bacteria levels.
The health department will continue to monitor the water quality in these areas and update the public.