Escambia Responds To Nearly 1,000 Emergency Calls Throughout Winter Storm
January 24, 2025
During this week’s icy roadways and dangerous conditions due to record setting snowfall, Escambia County first responders never stopped responding to emergency calls, runner nearly 1,000 calls since Tuesday morning.
From 7 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21 to 1 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23 Escambia County Emergency Communications dispatched 960 calls for service throughout the county, including 568 Emergency Medical Services calls and 392 Fire Rescue calls.
As with any emergency or natural disaster, Escambia County Public Safety has plans in place to increase staffing and remain ready to respond quickly to calls for service. Even during the height of the snowstorm when visibility was low and road conditions were dangerous, first responders were out running emergency calls.
“I am incredibly proud of our Public Safety team for always being ready and willing to respond, often putting their own safety and comfort aside to protect and serve our community,” Public Safety Director Eric Gilmore said. “It’s times like this when the public relies on us the most, and I am proud to say that we never stopped responding to emergency calls during this unprecedented and historic snowstorm for Northwest Florida.”
The Escambia County Emergency Operations Center has been staffed 24/7 since Monday, Jan. 20 and remained active throughout the winter storm. Public Safety officials began planning for and meeting about the severe winter weather last week, working closely with community partners to determine a plan for cold weather shelters, first responder staffing, emergency responses, and more. Escambia County EMS and Fire Rescue crews stayed overnight at the EOC ahead of and during the storm to ensure they were ready to respond quickly without having to drive to work in dangerous conditions.
Escambia County also worked closely with local, state, and federal partners including the U.S. Coast Guard and Florida Department of Transportation to ensure there was a plan in place for transporting individuals off Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key in an emergency, even if the roads became impassible for emergency vehicles.
“Had there been a point in time where the bridges had been completely impassible even by EMS, we worked out an arrangement with the Coast Guard to transport patients from the beaches to the mainland if necessary,” Escambia County Emergency Manager Travis Tompkins said. “Fortunately, we did not have to use this plan since there were no major incidents.”
Tompkins emphasized the importance of listening to local officials during situations like this when messaging is shared to help keep the public and first responders safe.
“When we put messaging out during an emergency, it is for everyone’s safety,” Tompkins said. “I am so very thankful that the public took note of our messaging to stay off the roads — that helped tremendously with keeping everyone safe.”
Escambia County Public Works crews also worked with Public Safety to clear roads and bridges after the storm, ensuring they were accessible for emergency vehicles to respond to calls. Additionally, Public Works crews worked diligently ahead of and during the storm to sand all bridges throughout Escambia County, working overnight from Monday afternoon into Tuesday morning to prep roadways.
“This was a historic event for Escambia County, Northwest Florida, and the entire state of Florida,” County Administrator Wes Moreno said. “Even with unprecedented amounts of snowfall, I am very proud of how hard our county staff has worked before, during, and after this storm to serve the public and keep everyone safe. Thank you to our Public Safety and Public Works crews for their continued efforts to clear roadways and respond to calls, and to our residents for their patience as we work together to return to normal. Please continue to stay off the roads unless travel is necessary, for your safety and the safety of our first responders.”
Pictured: Escambia County EMS on scene of a seven vehicle wreck on Highway 97 south of Walnut Hill during Tuesday afternoon’s record snowfall. Pictured below: Escambia County Public Safety Director Eric Gilmore clears ice from his windshield wipers at Highway 99 and Highway 99A near Walnut Hill Tuesday afternoon in an effort to approve visibility. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
USPS Resuming Normal Mail Delivery
January 24, 2025
The U.S. Postal Service is working to resume normal mail delivery following this week’s historical snowfall.
Tiffany Rowland, a USPS communications specialist told NorthEscambia.com that mail carriers will continue to make every attempt to deliver to all addresses as long as it is safe to do so.
“The U.S. Postal Service takes seriously the safety and well-being of both customers and employees. The winter weather conditions experienced in Florida this week were unprecedented,” she said. “We ask our customers to please be patient if they are expecting packages or specific mailpieces, as there could be some residual impacts within our network. We are proud of the efforts of our employees and will continue to work around the clock to deliver all packages and mail entered into our system.”
Pictured: Icy conditions persisted late Thursday afternoon on West Highway 4 near Canoe Creek. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Atmore Man Crawls Out of Trunk, Arrested on Drug Charges in Grocery Parking Lot
January 24, 2025
An Atmore man arrested on drug charges after crawling out of a vehicle trunk in the parking lot of Atmore grocery store.
Atmore Police Department officers responded to Ramey’s on Church Street after a citizen noticed someone in the trunk of a vehicle.
Officers arrived to find suspected narcotics in plain view inside the vehicle.
“Just before the officers began a probable cause search of the vehicle, the person in the trunk pushed the back seat down and began crawling out of the trunk,” APD Sgt. Darrell McMann said.
Randy Weeks, 42, was taken into custody without further incident.
Police said a search of the vehicle revealed several grams of methamphetamine, kratom, clonazepam, alprazolam, and items used to ingest narcotics.
Weeks was charged with three counts of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was booked into the Escambia County (AL) Detention Center.
All Lanes Of I-10 Now Open In Florida
January 24, 2025
All lanes of I-10 have reopened from the Alabama state line east to Tallahassee and beyond to Jacksonville.
Photo Gallery: Really Creative Florida Snowmen
January 23, 2025
When Florida gets historic snowfall, Florida residents make snowmen.
Wednesday afternoon, we asked NorthEscambia.com readers to share their snowman photos.
Over 1,000 people submitted photos of snowmen (one of them about 10 feet tall), snow-deer, snow-chickens, various characters made of snow and even a few igloos. The creativity was endless – pretty impressive actually for Florida folks that rarely see snow.
Here is gallery with over 400 photos.
You can also go to a Wednesday post and scroll through the comments for hundreds of other photos.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Schools, Colleges Remain Closed Today And Friday
January 23, 2025
Schools in Escambia County, Florida, and Santa Rosa County, Florida will remain closed Thursday and Friday.
Pensacola State College and the University of West Florida will also be closed Thursday and Friday.
Schools in Escambia County, Alabama, will remain closed on Thursday and Friday.
The National Weather Service forecasts cold weather remaining in the area overnight Wednesday and stretching into Thursday and early Friday, which could affect safe travel on area roads and bridges. In an abundance of caution, all schools, district offices, and afterschool activities, including indoor and outdoor athletics, have been canceled in the districts.
“We expect to resume normal district operations will on Monday, January 27,” stated Escambia (FL) Superintendent Keith Leonard. “Of course, we’ll continue to work closely with local emergency operations officials to determine what is safest for our families and staff.”
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
ECUA Further Delays Some Pick Ups, Cancels North Escambia Collections
January 23, 2025
(UPDATED — New info at bottom of story)
ECUA has updated their collection schedule based upon winter conditions, and that means no pick up this week for some locations.
Sanitation collection services will resume on Friday, January 24. Due to the impact of the recent winter weather, road conditions, and limited landfill operations, collection schedules have been adjusted as follows:
- Wednesday collections will resume on Friday.
- Thursday collections will take place on Saturday.
- Friday collections will take place on Sunday.
- Monday’s and Tuesday’s collections will resume as normal next week. Tuesday’s North Escambia route (pictured in yellow below), which covers the northern park of the count, was deferred for safety reasons until next week as many roads in the northern portion of the county may still be impassable.
UPDATE: Here is more information from Bruce Woody, ECUA executive director on why these decisions were made:
Sanitation staff are advised to report to work on Friday, January 24, 2025, as scheduled. Sanitation will run Wednesday’s route on Friday, Thursday’s route on Saturday, and Friday’s route on Sunday. That also means that there will not be a collection of the Tuesday route this week. This was a difficult decision, but was influenced by the following:
- The Perdido Landfill will be closed on Thursday. The city of Pensacola trash collection will also not run on Thursday. Republic services will also not be operating (commercial operations).
- The Perdido Landfill is being very helpful by opening up on Sunday for the ECUA for a full day’s operation so we can collect our Friday route.
- Tuesday is our largest and longest route day. This is mainly because on Tuesday we pick up in the north part of the county, all the way up to the Alabama state line. These rural roads will be even more difficult negotiate, as many of the side roads receive less traffic. Many are also not paved and will thaw more slowly. If we were to alter our route schedule and put it at the end of our schedule to allow more time for snow and ice to melt, then we wouldn’t get it until Monday, and that is the day before we would normally be picking up on Tuesday.
- On Monday we pick up on Pensacola Beach and need staff for that route, making Monday a difficult day to double up by also picking up a full day route.
Pictured: ECUA cans await pickup on Tuesday on North Highway 99 in Bratt. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Winter Conditions Delay Appointment To Vacant Century Town Council Seat
January 23, 2025
A decision on who will be appointed to a vacant seat on the non-partisan Century Town Council has been delayed to next week due to this week’s snowstorm.
Seat 4 was left open when Alicia Johnson was appointed interim mayor after Luis Gomez, Jr. resigned.
The town council was set to meet last Tuesday night to choose on of three applicants, but the meeting was delayed by Tuesday’s snow. Century has followed Escambia County’s lead in closing offices due to ongoing ice issues.
The council will now meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, January 28.
The three applicants are:
- Constance Brookhart, who described herself as a very detailed person that is a supervisor at a water utility with over 20 years’ experience in dealing with people and finances. She would love to see Century “as a vibrant business area” that should be clean and decorated.
- Kathryn Fleming, who previously worked as a mental health case manager for about two years in Brewton that describes herself as a problem solver. She said Century is a gateway to Pensacola beaches and aviation that should draw tourists, and the county is growing north. She served on the Century Charter Review committee from 2022-2023.
- Lizbeth A. “Sparkie” Harrison, who has lived and worked as a director of PSC Century Center for two years that is “driven by the desire to help others and enhance the quality of life for all who call Century home. She attached a cover letter and a three-page “Vision Plan for Century” to the town’s basic application.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Here’s The Latest Escambia County Winter Weather Update
January 23, 2025
Here is the latest update from Escambia County:
Escambia County is under an extreme cold warning through Thursday morning, Jan. 23, according to the National Weather Service Mobile, Alabama. Wind chills and air temperatures will drop as low as 10 degrees. Although sunny conditions have melted some of the snow, ice is expected to form after sunset, leading to icy roadways. Residents are strongly urged to stay off the roadways. All roads and bridges in Escambia County should be considered impassable until further notice due to hazardous driving conditions.
Emergency vehicles should be the only vehicles on the road until further notice. Road conditions will remain hazardous as the melted snow turns into ice.
Additional County Updates:
- Public Safety is continuing to operate and respond to emergency calls.
- County offices are closed through Friday, Jan. 24.
- Escambia County Fire Rescue has responded to several calls for burst pipes due to the cold weather. Residents are reminded to cover pipes and allow outdoor faucets to slowly drip to prevent them from freezing and breaking.
- County Public Works crews have been working throughout Escambia County to clear snow from roads and bridges to make them accessible for emergency vehicles to respond to calls.
Escambia County offices will remain closed Thursday, Jan. 23 and Friday, Jan. 24 due to continued hazardous road conditions from Tuesday’s winter snowstorm. Essential employees such as first responders will remain available.
Offices closing include:
- Escambia County Board of County Commissioners – all departments
- County Administration offices
- West Florida Public Libraries – all locations
- Escambia County Tax Collector – all offices
- Escambia County Property Appraiser’s Office – both locations
- Waste Services Administration and the Perdido Landfill
- Escambia County Extension Services
- Escambia County Clerk of the Court and Comptroller – all offices
- Escambia County Department of Animal Welfare
- Escambia County Area Transit and Customer Service
- ECAT buses and the UWF trolleys will not run Jan. 23 or 24. Normal bus service is expected to resume Saturday, Jan. 25.
- All Escambia County Early Voting locations will remain closed on Thursday, January 23. Decisions regarding Early Voting on Friday, January 24 will be made late Thursday afternoon, once conditions can be assessed. For the safety of the public and the election workers decisions will be made on a daily basis.
I-10 Closure Alert from FDOT:
- Beginning 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22, FDOT will close I-10 from the Alabama/Florida state line to exit 192 (U.S. Highway 90) in Gadsden County in both directions due to hazardous road conditions. Please seek alternative routes until further notice. Conditions can change rapidly or bring unexpected circumstances. Unless travel is necessary, it is advised to stay off the roads.
Pictured: An Escambia County crew works to clear snow and ice from Highway 99A near Walnut Hill. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
I-10 Closed From The Alabama/Florida Line To Near Tallahassee
January 22, 2025
Nearly 200 miles of I-10 across Northwest Florida are now closed due to snow and ice.
The Florida Department of Transportation has closed both directions of I-10 from the Alabama state line to Midway (exit 192) near Tallahassee. The closure is due to remaining snow, ice, and water on the roadway combined with incoming hard freeze temperatures overnight resulting in icy and dangerous conditions on bridges and roadways. Drivers should seek alternative routes until further notice.
Locally, all roads in Escambia and Santa Rosa County should still be considered closed. While some snow did melt during the afternoon, there is the likelihood of black ice by morning with lows forecast in the 10-15 degree range.