Leon County Emergency Management: Hurricane Irma Daily Brief - Sunday Sept. 10

Emergency Alerts

For Sunday, September 10

As our community braces for Hurricane Irma, Leon County Emergency Management is preparing for response and recovery operations and executing our emergency plans for this powerful storm.

Most Current Weather Forecast

 

Irma’s path shifted slightly back eastward, with the center of the storm passing near the Leon/Jefferson County line. If this forecast holds, we anticipate Irma to be a low-end Category 1 hurricane or strong tropical storm by the time it reaches our latitude. At this time, we are likely to receive sustained winds up to 40-50mph with gusts up to 75mph at peak intensity, which is expected between morning and mid-day tomorrow, Monday.

 

Leon County Imposes Countywide Curfew

In accordance with the local declared state of emergency issued on Tuesday, September 5 of this week, Leon County hereby imposes a countywide curfew as follows:

  • Sunday, September 10 from 9 p.m. to Monday, September 11 at 7 a.m.
  • Monday, September 11 from 9 p.m. to Tuesday, September 12 at 7 a.m.
  • Tuesday, September 12 from 9 p.m. to Wednesday, September 13 at 7 a.m.

Issuing this curfew requires all Leon County residents and visitors to remain indoors during the prescribed times to allow first responders and emergency personnel to most effectively protect the safety of residents and property. The threat of hurricane force winds, downed trees and power lines also pose real risk to the public.

Even when the curfew period is not in effect, citizens should limit travel on public roadways to allow officials to conduct response and recovery efforts most effectively.

 

Important Information

  • Listen to 88.9 WFSU-FM – Live updates will occur regularly throughout the storm.
  • Trash pick-up for Leon County and the City of Tallahassee will not occur on Tuesday, September 12. Further service changes will be announced in the future.
  • Shelter Locations:
    • Chiles High School, 7200 Lawton Chiles Lane
    • Oak Ridge Elementary School, 4530 Shelfer Road
    • Canopy Oaks Elementary School, 3250 Point View Drive
    • Rickards High School, 3013 Jim Lee Road
    • Lincoln High School, 3838 Trojan Trail
    • SAIL High School, 2006 Jackson Bluff Road
    • Woodville Elementary School, 9373 Woodville Highway
    • Leon High School, 550 E. Tennessee Street
    • Ft. Braden Elementary School, 15100 Blountstown Highway
    • Nims Middle School, 723 W. Orange Avenue
    • Florida High School (for individuals with special medical needs and their caregivers only), 3000 School House Road

Volunteers are still needed to assist in the operations of the shelter. To volunteer, call (850) 606-3700.

  • Office, School, and University/College Closures:
    • Leon County and City of Tallahassee offices and facilities will be closed through Tuesday, September 12.
    • The Tuesday, September 12 Leon County Board of County Commissioners Meeting, Public Hearing, and Crime Statistics Workshop have been canceled.
    • Leon County Schools will be closed through Tuesday, September 12.
    • Florida A&M University and Tallahassee Community College will be closed through Tuesday, September 12.
    • Florida State University, Florida A&M University, and Tallahassee Community College  will be closed through Friday, September 15.
    • State of Florida offices will be closed through Tuesday, September 12.
    • The Tallahassee Veterans Affairs Health Care Center will be closed on Monday, September 11.
    • The Tallahassee International Airport will be closed for passenger flights starting 6 p.m. Sunday, September 10 with plans to reopen Tuesday, September 12 subject to post-storm conditions.
  • Solid Waste Services:
  • Trash pick-up for Leon County and the City of Tallahassee will not occur on Monday, September 11 and Tuesday, September 12. Further service changes will be announced in the future.
    • The Marpan Recycling Center will be closed on Monday, September 11 and will reopen on Tuesday, September 12, subject to storm event conditions.
    • The Apalachee Rural Waste Service Center (RWSC) will be closed Monday, September 11 and Tuesday, September 12 for RWSC users. All other RWSC locations will remain open according to their normal operation schedule.
    • The Leon County Household Hazardous Waste Center will be closed Monday, September 11 and Tuesday, September 12.
  • Distribution Centers:
    • Leon County plans to open Rural Distribution Centers as conditions allow following the storm.
    • These distribution centers will provide the basic necessities including water, sanitary packs, and light food supplies as they are received at the following drive-up locations:
      • Huntington Oaks Community Center
      • Ft. Braden Community Center
      • Miccosukee Community Center
      • Woodville Community Center
      • Chaires Community Center
    • Although distribution centers will be opened, families should still plan to have 3-5 days of essential supplies on hand.
  • Comfort Stations:
    • After Hurricane Irma has passed and it has been determined that the roadways are safe and power is available, the Leon County Main Library downtown (200 West Park Avenue) will open as a comfort station.
    • The comfort station will offer a place to cool off, assistance and information on storm recovery efforts, charging stations for electronic devices, light snacks and refreshments, public access to computers and Wi-Fi , and more.
    • The City of Tallahassee will open similar comfort stations, which will be listed on the County’s Emergency Information Portal (LeonCountyFL.gov/ei) and the City’s website (www.talgov.com/Irma).

Stay Informed

To stay up-to-date on Leon County preparedness actions, such as sand bag locations, shelter openings and preparedness tips, you have the following resources:

  • Download the Leon County Citizens Connect mobile application - Completely redesigned, the Citizens Connect mobile app puts timely emergency notifications at your fingertips through push notifications on your smartphone or other device. Be the first to know about shelter locations, road closures and service changes by downloading the application on the Apple and Google Play stores.
  • Visit the Leon County Emergency Information Portal - Hosting the same information as the Citizens Connect app, the Emergency Information Portal can be accessed on a desktop or a mobile browser by visiting www.LeonCountyFL.gov/EI .
  • Listen to 88.9 WFSU-FM - Citizens can tune in to 88.9 FM for the most up-to-date information from local public safety officials. Featuring to-the-minute reporting, WFSU, Leon County and the City of Tallahassee remain committed to getting information out on the radio as soon as possible.
  • Call Big Bend 2-1-1 - If you need community information, services and support any day of the year, Big Bend 2-1-1 is reachable by dialing either 2-1-1 or (850) 617-6333.
  • Call (850) 606-3700 with questions - Leon County Emergency Management staff is available to answer questions from what you should prepare, act and recover.
  • For updates on City of Tallahassee Utilities and other City services, visit com.
  • Insurance Helpline - The Florida Department of Financial Services offers a toll-free Insurance Consumer Helpline to assist Florida's insurance consumers. Insurance Specialists are available to answer questions or concerns regarding insurance coverage and advocate on a consumer's behalf to resolve a dispute with an insurance company. To receive assistance, call 1-877-MY-FL-CFO (693-5236) toll-free, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Price Gouging - During a state of emergency, it is unlawful to sell or lease certain commodities for an amount that grossly exceeds the average price. To report price gouging, call 1-866-966-7226.