Leon County Emergency Management: Hurricane Michael Daily Brief - Thursday, October 11

Leon County FL Government sent this bulletin at 10/11/2018 06:02 PM EDT

Hurricane Michael Daily Brief

For Thursday, October 11

Hurricane Michael made landfall around 2:00 pm yesterday near Mexico Beach as a category 4 hurricane with Leon County experiencing tropical storm force wind gusts for nearly 12 hours. Leon County Emergency Management is preparing for response and recovery operations and executing our emergency plans for this powerful storm.

Important Updates

Shelter Locations:

As risk shelter occupants return home following Hurricane Michael, Leon County will consolidate risk shelter operations to Sail High School, 2006 Jackson Bluff Road. Sail High School will remain open until other host shelter locations are identified, surveyed, and opened as soon as possible. Sail High School will be pet accessible, too.

The shelter will only have water and snacks available.

Damage Assessments

Comfort Station

  • To help recover from Hurricane Michael, Leon County will open the downtown Main Library, 200 W. Park Ave, as a comfort station from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, October 12.
  • In coordination with local area agencies, the comfort station offers 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 has opened similar comfort stations, which will be listed on the City’s website (talgov.com/michael).

 

Distribution Sites

  • After working in close coordination with the State of Florida, 10 distribution sites (6 National Guard and 4 County/City) will be open tomorrow, October 12.

 

  • National Guard distribution sites will have water, Meal-Ready-to-Eat (MREs), and tarps that sever 10,000 citizens per day. The following six distribution sites will be staffed by more than 100 National guard beginning mid-day:

 

  • Braden Community Center – 16387 Blountstown Highway
  • Woodville Park – 1492 J. Lewis Hall Sr. Lane
  • Apalachee Regional Park – 7550 Apalachee Parkway
  • Fire Station #4 – 2899 West Pensacola Street
  • Fire Station #1 – 327 North Adams Street
  • Fire Station #2 – 2805 Sharer Road

 

  • Bottled water locations in County and City, spread across a wide area to ensure broad geographic distribution, opening at 9 a.m.:
    • Fred George Park – 4830 Fred George Road
    • Miccosukee (Concord School) – 15011 Cromartie Road
    • Fire Station #3 – 3005 South Monroe Street
    • Fire Station #15 – 1445 Bannerman

Power Outages

Current Closures:

  • Leon County offices and facilities will remain closed through Friday, October 12.
  • City offices and facilities will remain closed through Friday, October 12.
  • Leon County Schools will be closed through Friday, October 12.
  • All universities and colleges will be closed through Friday, October 12.
  • State offices will be closed through Friday, October 12 for the 14 counties hardest hit by Hurricane Michael: Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Hamilton, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor and Wakulla.

 

Recovery Resources

 

  • Wifi Hotspots: Comcast is opening its network more than 8,000 Xfinity WiFi hotspots throughout the Florida Panhandle. For a map of Xfinity WiFi hotspots, visit Xfinity.com/wifi.

 

  • Free Hurricane Michael Home Cleanup Hotline – The Florida Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster shared info regarding free cleanup assistance. From now through November 2, 2018, several relief agencies are staffing a free hotline for debris removal and home cleanup after the recent severe weather. Call 1-800-451-1954

Safety Tips

Below are safety tips to consider as we respond and recover:

  • Generator Use
    • Use generators outdoors and away from windows and doors to avoid exposure to carbon monoxide, a deadly, colorless, odorless gas. Never operate a generator indoors.
    • Make sure the generator is cool when refilling the fuel tank. Store flammable fuel away from fuel burning appliances.
    • Remember that you cannot see or smell CO and portable generators can produce high levels of CO very quickly.
  • Shelter in Place
    • Do not burn candles.
    • Fill tubs and containers with water.
    • Remain indoors until it is declared safe to travel.

Stay Informed

As Hurricane Michael continues to lash our area as a major hurricane, Leon County Emergency Management is actively preparing disaster response and recovery efforts.To stay up-to-date on Leon County’s activities, 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.
  • Additionally, iHeartRadio will also provide updates on the following stations: WFLA-FM 100.7, WFLF-FM 94.5, WTNT 94.9, KISS-FM 107.1, X-FM101.5, and The Beat-FM 105.3.
  • 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 Talgov.com . For updates on Talquin Electric, visit www.talquinelectric.com or Duck Energy, visit www.dukeenergyupdates.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.

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