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Power Companies Prep For The Storm; Hundreds Of Trucks And Crews Stage

Gulf Power stands ready for the impacts of Hurricane Michael.

In addition to the 1,517 Gulf Power employees and contractors, more than 2,600 outside resources will be in Northwest Florida to assist with power restoration.

“Michael is a powerful storm and it looks like our customers in Panama City area will be the most heavily impacted. With a storm of this magnitude, power restoration in the hardest hit areas may take up to a week or more due to anticipated storm impacts.” said Gordon Paulus, Gulf Power spokesperson. “But all customers need to be prepared for tropical storm-force winds, which could lead to prolonged, widespread outages.

Gulf Power crews will work throughout the day and night to restore any outages until winds reach 35 mph, when it becomes unsafe. Once the storm passes, crews will quickly work to determine the damage and begin to work as quickly and safely as possible to restore power.

“Customers can be assured that we will work every minute to restore power as long as it is safe to do so,” Paulus said. “We our working our storm plans. We have already been tested this year with Subtropical Storm Alberto and Tropical Storm Gordon, so we are ready.”

Company employees spent Tuesday on logistics, preparing materials in areas where most of the damage could occur. They set up staging areas throughout Northwest Florida to handle the influx of outside crews.

Pictured: Over 600 hundred power company vehicles from across the country were staging at the fairgrounds on Mobile Highway Tuesday night. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

First Hurricane Shelters Now Open In Escambia County; Pet Friendly Shelter At Molino Park

Michael: Final Escambia County Update

[Updated 6 p.m. Wednesday] This will be the last Hurricane Michael update from Escambia County unless there are any major changes.

Essential Information

• Escambia County Emergency Operations Center is activated at a Level 3 (monitoring), or typical daily operations.
• The Citizen Information Line is closed.
• Escambia County is assisting 12 evacuees from the east.
• We are inventorying our staff and assets to determine if any resources can be deployed to the east if necessary to assist those impacted by Hurricane Michael.
• The National Humane Society is coming to take adoptable animals from the Escambia County Animal Shelter in order to make room to house animals coming with evacuees from the east.
• Escambia County is providing mutual aid to Bay County to provide by sending two ambulance crews, two engine companies (one volunteer, one career) with one Zodiac, in addition to helping to staff a incident management team.

Pensacola Beach

• A high risk of rip currents and high surf advisory are in effect for the northern Gulf Coast through at least Friday. Red flags are flying on Pensacola Beach and are expected through today. Red flags represent high surf and/or dangerous currents, and there is no swimming or wading in the Gulf of Mexico in red flag conditions. Surf heights are expected to increase to 10-15 feet through Wednesday.
• The tolls on the Bob Sikes Bridge have been lifted by the governor until further notice.

Evacuations

• The evacuation ordered for Zone A on Tuesday, Oct. 9  has been lifted as of 4 p.m. today, Wednesday, Oct. 10.

Schools

• Escambia County School District: Escambia County schools will resume regular schedules on Thursday, Oct. 11, with all district offices resuming normal work hours. The Special School Board Workshop slated for 3 p.m., on Thursday, Oct. 11 will also occur as previously advertised.
• University of West Florida: Classes and normal business operations on the University of West Florida Pensacola campus will resume at 7:59 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 11. The UWF Emerald Coast location will remain closed on Thursday, Oct. 11. This includes all classes, events, and activities at this location. Florida Virtual Campus Tallahassee location will remain closed on Thursday, Oct. 11 and is scheduled to reopen on Friday, Oct. 12 at 8 a.m. Florida Virtual Campus Gainesville remains open.
• Pensacola State College will resume normal operations hours on Thursday, Oct. 11.
• Pensacola Christian Academy and Pensacola Christian College classes will resume on Thursday, Oct. 11.

Trash Service

• ECUA Residential and Commercial sanitation services in Escambia County will resume Thursday, Oct. 11. Wednesday’s collections will be made on Thursday, Thursday’s collections will be made on Friday, and Friday’s collections will be made on Saturday. Updates will be posted to the ECUA website and released to local media as necessary, should conditions change.

Closures/Openings

• State offices will be closed through Thursday in the 35 counties included in Gov. Scott’s emergency order, which includes Escambia County.
• All Escambia County offices will be resume regular business hours Thursday, Oct. 11.
• Pensacola Energy’s Customer Service Center is closed until Thursday, Oct. 11. For natural gas emergencies, please call 474-5300.
• All offices of the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller will resume regular business hours Thursday, Oct. 11.
• All offices of the Escambia County Tax Collector will resume regular business hours Thursday, Oct. 11.
• First Judicial Circuit: The courts in Escambia County will resume regular business hours Thursday, Oct. 11.
• The Escambia County Supervisor of Elections Office will resume regular business hours Thursday, Oct. 11. Pursuant to a directive by the Florida Secretary of State, the voter registration deadline for the Nov. 6 General Election in Escambia County will be extended until the day the office reopens.
• Port of Pensacola has been placed at Port Condition ZULU by the United States Coast Guard, Captain of the Port, Mobile Area. Under Condition ZULU, the port and all surrounding navigable waterways are closed to all vessel traffic and all port and vessel operations are suspended until further notice.
• All offices of the Florida Department of Health in Escambia Count are scheduled to reopen on Thursday, Oct. 11 at their regular time.
• ECAT will resume regular service operations and routes Thursday, Oct. 11.

Military

• Naval Air Station Pensacola, Corry Station and Saufley Field  will resume normal operations on Thursday, Oct. 11.

Power Outages

• Please do not call 9-1-1 to report power outages. Gulf Power knows when your power is out. You can track outages on their outage map from your smartphone on the Gulf Power Outage Map or report power outages online here.
• Power outages for Escambia River Cooperative Inc. can be reported to 1-877-OUT-EREC or 1-877-688-3732. View the EREC Outage Map for updated power outage information. Never touch a fallen power line and assume all wires on the ground are electrically charged.

Road Closures

• Highway 399 (J. Earle Bowden Way) is closed between Navarre Beach and Pensacola Beach is closed.
• Online road closure resources:
  • Check for Escambia County road closures 24/7 at www.myescambia.com/roadissuesmap.
  • City of Pensacola road closures can be viewed here.
  • For the latest closures and updates, travelers can access Florida’s 511 service from cell phones, landlines and online at www.FL511.com.
• FDOT has suspended interstate and highway maintenance and construction indefinitely to allow for an increase in traffic as motorists evacuate from the northwest Florida coastline area. Presently, no bridges are closed due to the storm and bridge inspection crews are on standby for any potential inspections. Once conditions improve, crews will go back to working around the clock to clear all roadways.

Recreational Areas

• The Pensacola Beach Gulf Pier, Bob Sikes Bridge Fishing Pier and Pensacola Bay Fishing Bridge are closed.
• Gulf Islands National Seashore officials have closed all areas of the national seashore in Florida due to Hurricane Michael.

Disaster Fund

• Gov. Rick Scott activated the Florida Disaster Fund to support individuals who are impacted by Hurricane Michael. 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.
• In partnership with the public sector, private sector and other non-governmental organizations, the Florida Disaster Fund supports response and recovery activities. Donations to the Florida Disaster Fund are made to the Volunteer Florida Foundation, 501(c)(3) charitable organization and are tax deductible.
• Donations may be made by credit card on the secure website at www.floridadisasterfund.org or by check to the below address. Checks should be made payable to the Volunteer Florida Foundation and should include “Florida Disaster Fund” in the memo line.
  Volunteer Florida Foundation
  Attention: Florida Disaster Fund
  3800 Esplanade Way, Suite 180
  Tallahassee, FL 32311
• For additional questions about the Florida Disaster Fund, please contact info@volunteerflorida.org or call 850-414-7400.

Volunteer Efforts

• As the state’s lead agency for coordinating volunteers and donations before, during and after disasters, Volunteer Florida has established resources for individuals and groups who would like to support Floridians affected by Hurricane Michael.
• Those interested in volunteering can visit VolunteerFlorida.org and register on the volunteer database.
• As disaster response organizations like the American Red Cross or the Salvation Army evaluate their needs and asses their resources, qualified volunteers will be contacted.
• The Salvation Army is working with state and local emergency management throughout the Florida Panhandle.
• The Salvation Army has established a command center in Tampa and is prepared to mobilize incident management teams to the Florida Panhandle to serve impacted areas after the storm makes landfall.
• Personnel and mobile feeding units are on standby ready to move in after the storm. The Salvation Army’s mobile feeding units can serve 500-1,500 meals per day. 
• Red Cross is bringing in 500 disaster relief workers to shelter and feed at sites in affected counties.

State Emergency Operations

• The State Emergency Operations Center remains activated at a level one, which is a full-scale, 24-hours-a-day activation.
• The State Assistance Information Line contact number is 1-800-342-3557.
• The State Emergency Operations Center Media Line: 850-921-0217.
• Follow @FLSert or @FLGovScott on Twitter for live updates on Hurricane Michael.
• Visit floridadisaster.org/info to find information on shelters, road closures, and evacuation routes.

Photos: Pensacola Beach Tuesday Afternoon

Hurricane Michael was in the Gulf of Mexico south of Pensacola Beach Tuesday afternoon.

For a photo gallery, click here.

Pictured top: Waves crash into the Pensacola Beach fishing pier Tuesday afternoon. Pictured below: The road to Fort Pickens was closed by the Park Service. Pictured below: The surf reaches a walkover stairway. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.

Gulf Power, EREC Preparing For Hurricane Michael

Gulf Power and Escambia River Electric Cooperative are preparing for Hurricane Michael.

Gulf Power

Gulf Power is preparing for Hurricane Michael and encourages its customers to be prepared as well. The latest forecast projects landfall somewhere between Pensacola and Apalachicola as a category 2 or 3 hurricane Wednesday afternoon. On the current track, tropical storms force winds could extend as far west as Pensacola, with the greatest impact to the Panama City area.

With the threat of major hurricane and widespread power outages due to wind, rain and tidal surge, Gulf Power crews stand at the ready to restore power.

“Customers should prepare for the possibility of losing power for an extended period when tropical storm to hurricane force winds and storm surge or flooding occurs,” said Gordon Paulus, Gulf Power spokesperson. “We have our storm plans in place and are ready for any scenario.”

Nearly 1,200 Gulf Power employees and 330 Gulf Power contractors shift to storm duty roles to restore power when a storm hits to ensure power is restored as quickly and safely as possible for their customers. The company has also lined up assistance from other energy providers. Already, more than 1,350 outside resources have been secured to assist with restoration and more are available if needed.

This will be the third storm to hit Northwest Florida this year. In May, Pensacola experienced subtropical storm Alberto, the first named storm of what has proven to be a very busy storm season. And in September, Gulf Power crews restored power to 26,000 customers after Tropical Storm Gordon lashed the area.

“Our crews were able to restore 26,000 customers from Tropical Storm Gordon within a day in a half,” Paulus said. “We train year-round for these types of scenarios. That training and developing of skills has really paid off in helping us quickly and safely get our customers’ power back on.”

Escambia River Electric Cooperative

With Hurricane Michael bearing down, EREC is making final preparations to deal with potential impacts in our area. According to the National Weather Service, Hurricane Michael is forecast to make landfall along the Florida panhandle on Wednesday afternoon. Michael will produce very heavy rain, strong wind, and storm surge.

EREC activated its emergency response plan earlier this week, alerting employees and contract crews to be on standby in case of widespread outages.

Evacuations Ordered In Escambia County

Scott: ‘Monstrous’ Michael Possibly Worst In Decades

Gov. Rick Scott on Monday called Hurricane Michael a “monstrous” and potentially “deadly” storm that is barreling toward Florida.

“It’s a massive storm. We haven’t seen anything like this in the Panhandle in decades,” Scott said at the Escambia County Emergency Operations Center.

Michael has the potential to be the strongest storm in the region since Hurricane Eloise swept across Bay County in September 1975 with 110 mph winds. Hurricane Opal carried 100 mph winds when it hit Pensacola Beach in October 1995. Hurricane Ivan made landfall near Gulf Shores, Ala., at 120 mph in September 2004. And Hurricane Dennis was at 105 mph when it hit Santa Rosa Island in July 2005.

A state of emergency was declared in 35 counties — including  Escambia and Santa Rosa. State offices will be closed in Escambia, Santa Rosa and the other 33 counties through Thursday.

Scott has activated 1,250 members of the Florida National Guard, with another 4,250 on standby.

Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said the Florida Forest Service and the Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement are preparing teams to support urban search and rescue operations.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has also designated 40 law-enforcement officers for rapid deployment. The Florida Highway Patrol is pre-deploying 100 State Troopers to the Panhandle and Big Bend area of Florida in preparation for Hurricane Michael.

by The News Service of Florida with contribution from NorthEscambia.com

Pictured: Gov. Rick Scott at the Escambia County Operations Center late Monday afternoon. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Santa Rosa County Hurricane Michael Information

[Updated 6 p.m. Tuesday] Here is the latest Hurricane Michael information from Santa Rosa County:

Storm Information as Forecasted by the National Weather Service

• Shelters are opened to ensure your safety. Remember they are crowded and usually uncomfortable. It is recommended that other arrangements be made to stay at a hotel or with a friends or family in a well-constructed home out of the evacuation area that is properly protected to withstand hurricane force winds.
• Anyone needing transportation assistance to a shelter, call (850) 983-4636. We will only provide transportation to a designated shelter.
• The shelter is currently hosting approximately 45 in general population, five in special needs and four pets. The shelter will be open until Thurs. morning.

Santa Rosa County Offices and Services

• Santa Rosa County BOCC, Clerk of Court, Tax Collector, Property Appraiser and Supervisor of Elections offices will remain closed Wed. Offices will reopen Thurs.
• The BOCC Regular Meeting scheduled for Wed., Oct. 10 has been cancelled.
• Lifeguards will not be on the beach Wed., Oct. 10.
• Libraries are closed Wed., Oct. 10.
• Animal Shelter drop boxes will closed through Wed., Oct. 10
• Building inspections will be delayed this week. All inspections will be suspended Wed., Oct. 10. Delays are still likely through the end of the week.
• Central Landfill will remain closed Wed., Oct. 10.
  The Transportation Disadvantaged program has been suspended for Wed., Oct. 10. Service will resume on Thurs., Oct. 11. For information, call 850-626-6806.
• The Navarre Pier will be closed Wed., Oct. 10.

NAS Whiting Field

• NAS Whiting Field is open to mission-critical personnel only on Wed., Oct. 10. the base medical clinic and pharmacy will be closed and reopen Thurs., Oct. 11 at 7 a.m.

Waste Pro

• Navarre – Collection services have been suspended for Wed., Oct. 10. Services will resume Thurs., Oct. 11. If your garbage is normally serviced on Wed. you will be serviced Sat. Recycling and yard waste collection will run one day behind. Wed. will be service on Thurs., Thurs. serviced on Fri. and Fri. serviced on Sat.
• Gulf Breeze – Collection services have been suspended for Wed., Oct. 10 and will resume Thurs., Oct. 11. All collections will run one day behind for the remainder of the week.
• Offices will reopen Thurs., Oct. 11; call 850-365-1900 with any questions.

Courts

• State courts in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton Counties will be closed at noon on Tues., Oct. 9 and will remain closed Wed., Oct. 10.  Any further decisions regarding court operations on Thurs., Oct. 11, will be announced as soon as possible.
• First Appearances set for Oct. 10 will be held at 7:30 a.m. at the Santa Rosa County Jail.
• Any detention or shelter hearings set for Oct. 10 will be conducted in Escambia County in conjunction with the Escambia County hearings.
• Domestic violence Injunction hearings set for Oct. 10 are rescheduled to Oct. 17.
• VOP hearings before Judge Hilliard set for Oct. 9 are rescheduled to Oct. 24 at 2:30 p.m.
• Misdemeanor arraignments set before Judge Giraud on Oct. 9 are rescheduled to Oct. 30 at 1 p.m.
• VOP hearings before Judge Giraud set for Oct. 10 are rescheduled to Oct. 31 at 8:30 a.m.
• Docket day before Judge Giraud set for Oct. 10 is rescheduled to Oct. 17 at 1:30 p.m.
• The truancy docket before Judge Ross Goodman set for Oct. 10  is rescheduled to Nov. 7 at 3 p.m.
• Criminal motion hearings before Judge Rimmer set for Oct. 10 are rescheduled to Oct. 15.
• For further updates, follow the First Circuit at https://twitter.com/1stCircuitFLor @1stCircuitFL or visit www.firstjudicialcircuit.org.

City of Milton

• City of Milton offices will remain closed Wed. Offices will reopen Thurs.
• City garbage services will resume Thurs. normal schedule.

Supervisor of Elections

• The Santa Rosa County Supervisor of Elections Office is closed. The closure will affect the voter registration deadline. In Florida, registration books close 29 days prior to an election.
• Due to the office closing early, paper voter registration applications for the 2018 General Election will be accepted on the next full business day the office is open.
• Voter registration applications can be summited online at www.votesantarosa.com. The deadline to accept online voter registration applications will remain 11:59 p.m. October 9.
• Address changes can be made after the books close. If you are unsure of your registration status, visit VoteSantaRosa.com and click on “My Registration Status.”
• Early Voting begins October 22 in Santa Rosa County.
• Questions? Call the Elections Office at 983-1900.

Santa Rosa Public Schools

• District schools and offices will remain closed Wed., Oct. 10.
• A decision regarding school-related afternoon and evening activities for Wed. will be made during the day on Wed.
• A decision on school operation for Thurs., Oct. 11 will be announced on Wed.
• Monitor the district website and local media outlets for updates, as any change to the current forecast track will necessitate changes to the current plan of action.

Pensacola State College

• PSC will remain closed through Wed., Oct. 10. This closure includes all classes, evening classes, school activities, and online classes. 
• PSC is scheduled to resume normal operational hours on Thurs., Oct. 11.  If that should change, students, faculty, and staff will be notified through the PSC Alert System, social media, PSC website, and local media.

Council on Aging of West Florida

• COAWF will suspend all services Wed., Oct. 10 including:
• All senior dining sites in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties will be closed Wednesday.
• The Retreat adult day care will be closed Wednesday.
• Foster Grandparents and Senior Companions will not report to their schools or client homes Wednesday.
• Meals on Wheels will not be delivered on Wednesday, but will be delivered on Thursday. Clients scheduled for Wednesday delivery will be notified about the delivery change.
• The main Council on Aging office will be closed Wednesday, though the agency’s answering service will remain in operation, able to note questions and needs for service.

Gulf Islands National Seashore

• The Fort Pickens, Perdido Key, Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa Areas are closed.

Florida Forestry Service

• Florida Forest Service offices, recreation and day-use areas in Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties will be closed through Thursday.

Department of Health in Santa Rosa County

• Locations will remain closed through Wed., Oct. 10.  The closure includes all DOH-Santa Rosa clinics as well as the Pro Med Dental clinics in Milton and Midway.  Services are scheduled to resume at their regular times on Thurs., Oct. 11.
• Call the Milton location at 850-983-5200 on Thurs. to reschedule clinic appointments. To reschedule dental appointments, 850-564-2248.

• Pine Forest and Carroll in Milton
• Citrus and Leisure in Navarre
• Tiger Point Park in Gulf Breeze
• Pace Fire Rescue in Pace

• The tolls for Garcon Point Bridge have been lifted until further notice.
• J. Earle Bowden Way/399 is closed between Navarre Beach and Pensacola Beach.
• Choctaw Field Rd. will remain closed until future notice.
• Heavy rain may quickly flood low-lying areas including roads and bridges.
• Standing water creates a serious road hazard, even when only a portion of the roadway is flooded. Turn around, don’t drown!
• Dangerous road conditions can be reported to (850) 983-5372.
• Bridges will be closed by law enforcement or FDOT at the onset of sustained tropical storm force winds of 39 mph. BRIDGES ARE NOT CLOSED IN ADVANCE.
• County road and bridge closures are posted online.
• Florida road closures are available at www.fl511.com or a free phone call to 511.
• FDOT has suspended interstate and highway maintenance and construction indefinitely to allow for an increase in traffic as motorists evacuate from the northwest Florida coastline area. Bridge inspection crews are on standby for any potential inspections.
• FDOT will assist first responders with traffic control, detours or road closures, but the department will suspend emergency response activities if Hurricane Michael’s sustained winds reach tropical storm force of 45 mph or higher. Once conditions improve, crews will go back to working around the clock to clear all roadways.

• Please do not call 9-1-1 to report power outages. Power outages should be reported to Gulf Power at 1-800-GU-Power (1-800-487-6937) or Escambia River Cooperative, Inc. at 1-877-OUT-EREC (1-877-688-3732).
• Do not use a landline or run water during lightning storms. Do not take a bath or shower. Currents from lightning can enter through plumbing or water lines.
• Unplug sensitive electronic appliances to protect them against power fluctuations that can occur when power is restored.
• Wait five to 10 minutes before turning on appliances and heating/air conditioning systems after power is restored.
• Check for electrical damage such as frayed wires, downed power lines, sparks or the smell of hot or burned insulation. If you find such damage, don’t turn your power on until service crews have made repairs.
• If power lines and poles are down in your yard or in the street, always treat them as if they were energized.
• An electrician must repair damage inside your house. Your electric utility can only hook up power from the pole or underground line to your home. Utility personnel cannot repair your fuse or breaker box, or make other repairs inside your home.
• If your electric service is out, check with your neighbors to see if they have power. If they do, you may have a blown fuse or tripped breaker. Never replace a fuse or reset a breaker with wet hands or while standing on a wet (or even damp) surface.
• Helping line crews is appreciated, but working with power lines and electricity requires a high degree of training. To restore power with the highest degree of safety, restoration must be accomplished in a certain order, using specific equipment and procedures. Workers will appreciate your patience and understanding.

• Residents with storm damage can report damage online including submitting photos at www.santarosa.fl.gov or by calling (850) 983-4636.

.

Voter Registration Deadline Extended Due To Michael

The in-person voter registration deadline has been extended due to Hurricane Michael.

The Escambia County Supervisor of Elections Office will close today, October 9, at 3 p.m. and remain closed Wednesday, October 10, due to the potential impact of Hurricane Michael.

The Florida Secretary of the State issued a directive to storm impacted counties allowing for the extension of the voter registration deadline until the day the office reopened to the public following the storm, which means the voter registration deadline will be extended to Thursday, October 11 for dropping off paper applications for the General Election.

The deadline for electronic submissions through the Florida Online Voter Registration website is 11:59 p.m. tonight.

Photos: Getting Ready For Michael

Monday, Escambia County residents were busy prepping for Hurricane Michael…including trips for the store and gas stations for supplies and fuel.

Many stores were out of water, while there were scattered reports of gas stations without fuel.

Pictured top: Vehicles being fueled at the Tom Thumb in Molino early Monday evening. Pictured inset: Generators at Sam’s Club on Airport Boulevard. Pictured immediately below: Most of the water was sold out at the Walmart on Pensacola Boulevard in Ensley. Pictured bottom: Water shelves were mostly empty at the Winn Dixie in Cantonment Monday, but several pallets of water were available. Photos by Kristi Barbour and others for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

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