Hurricane Sally Update from Escambia County Sept. 17 at 12:45 p.m.

• A 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew has been issued for Escambia County due to Hurricane Sally, effective at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 16. This curfew includes the City of Pensacola. The violation of an emergency order is a second degree misdemeanor, which is a max 60 days jail/$500 fine.
• On Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, Hurricane Sally made landfall near Gulf Shores, Ala. 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 BeReadyEscambia Facebook and Twitter sites for the latest Hurricane Sally information.
• While reaching out to friends and family, we encourage you to text rather than call to keep cell towers open for 911 callers.
• Escambia County Fire Rescue, National Guard and the Sherriff’s Office are actively working on water rescues and life saving measures.
• Currently, ECFR, EMS and Sheriff’s Office are undergoing swift water and stillwater response and rescue operations. As of 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16, there have been 377 water rescue operations. Emergency services personnel are embedded in emergency vehicles from the Florida National Guard to assist with rescues. Emergency Management has also requested and received response from the United States Coast Guard who are sending boat teams over from Mobile as well as our FEMA USAR partners who were pre-staged and will be arriving momentarily from Jacksonville and Tennessee in the next few hours. Two hundred National Guardsmen are arriving tomorrow.
• Emergency Management has also engaged voluntary organizations active in disaster and the Florida Baptist Disaster Relief has a full response team coming to our area for relief.
• Hospitals are opened and staffed; however, some are operating on generator power. 9-1-1 calls are being prioritized so please be patient. Those who are in imminent danger will be helped first.
• EMS has responded to over 200 calls for service. There have been no storm-related deaths reported in Escambia County thus far.
• The Pensacola Bay Center continues to be open as a shelter that also takes special needs and is pet-friendly. Success Academy located at 7045 Wymart Road in Pensacola opened today at 4 p.m. and is not a special needs shelter at this time.

• If you go to a public shelter, you will need to take the following items to support you and your family for four days:
  -A change of clothing, rain gear and sturdy shoes
  -Toiletries and personal items
  -Blankets or sleeping bags and pillows
  -Identification and any important papers
  -Games, toys or books for children
  -Books for adults
  -Special items for infants or elderly family members
  -Any special dietary needs and non-perishable foods for snacks
  -Battery-operated radio, flashlights and plenty of spare batteries
  -Prescription medications or any over-the-counter medications you normally take
  -Masks or face coverings (COVID-19 precautions)

• County offices will also be closed Thursday, Sept. 17 to the public. County emergency critical personnel will still be required to report to work. The EOC at the Public Safety Building will continue to operate.
• The Lake Stone Campground will be closed until further notice due to fallen trees at or across the entry/exit road. Parks crews will be in the field performing initial damage assessments beginning Thursday on ballparks, neighborhood parks, and other park properties. We will be trying to clear fallen debris, and safeguard park properties within these initial damage assessments. With that said, we urge the public to be very cautious within the park property areas and if possible, please avoid the park properties with fallen debris and damage until the Parks and Recreation crews have had the chance to access any damage, cleanup fallen debris, and make any required safety repairs.
• Palafox Transfer Station is closed Thursday, Sept. 17
• Perdido Landfill scheduled to open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept, 17
• Canceled: Regional Round Up at Washington High School on Saturday, Sept. 19 

Known Damage and Closures

• A section of the Three Mile Bridge has been damaged and is being accessed by the Florida Department of Transportation, Emergency Management and county officials.
• I-10 traffic is being diverted eastbound at the 17 mile marker and westbound at the 31 mile marker until the barge and crane are secure.
• Summit Blvd. is not accessible due to flooding
• The Pensacola International Airport remains closed until further notice.
• The Pensacola Bay Bridge is currently being inspected by the Florida Department of Transportation. Governor DeSantis will be providing an update on the assessment later this afternoon.

Baptist Health Care

• Baptist, Gulf Breeze and Jay hospital inpatient services and emergency departments remain open.
• Outpatient services for radiation and infusion therapies at Baptist Hospital will reopen Thursday, Sept. 17. All other outpatient services at the hospitals will reopened as soon as possible. These services include those for wound care, physical rehabilitation, lab, retail pharmacy, elective surgery/procedures and imaging.
• All Baptist Medical Group physician offices will be closed Thursday, Sept. 17.

Outpatient services at the following locations are closed Thursday, Sept. 17:

• Andrews Institute*
• Baptist Medical Park – Pace
• Baptist Medical Park – Nine Mile*
• Baptist Medical Park – Airport
• Baptist Medical Park – Navarre
• *(Including ambulatory surgery centers)

Patients will be contacted directly to reschedule appointments. We apologize for any inconvenience. Plans are to reopen all services as soon as possible. Please check our Facebook page for updates.

City of Pensacola

• Initial reports include significant flooding, downed trees and power lines, power outages and multiple traffic signal outages. The city has started initial damage assessments from Hurricane Sally, and crews will continue until the assessments are completed. 
• Multiple roadways in the city are closed or impassable due to flooding, downed power lines and other debris. For a real-time road closures map, visit pensacolapolice.com.
• The city is aware of multiple flooded facilities and roadways, and we appreciate the public's patience as damages are assessed. 
• The City of Pensacola’s 311 is down for non-emergency calls. The city is working to restore service as soon as possible. Reports can still be made here.
• PFD and PPD have responded to multiple calls to rescue people from cars. Onlookers are putting themselves and first responders at risk and taking resources away from those who are experiencing critical, life threatening emergencies. 
• PFD has been coordinating with a National Guard high water response vehicle to rescue multiple occupants trapped due to high waters. 
• PFD responded to a residential structure fire on 9th Avenue at approximately 6 a.m today, Wednesday, Sept. 16. Despite dangerous conditions with high winds, PFD crews were able to extinguish the fire and rescue the occupants. PPD transported the occupants to the Pensacola Bay Center shelter. 
• Pensacola Energy crews are responding to calls for service south of I-10 and will respond to calls north of I-10 when conditions are safe. If you smell natural gas or see a damaged gas line, please call Pensacola Energy at 474-5307.
• Pensacola International Airport is closed until further notice.
• City of Pensacola offices and community centers will remain closed tomorrow, Thursday, Sept. 17. Essential personnel will be working.
• City Sanitation Services are suspended for the remainder of the week. Sanitation Services will resume Monday, Sept. 21 on a regular pickup schedule.

• All Meals on Wheels and to-go prepackaged meals from churches and community centers will resume as normal next week. Anyone in an emergency situation should call (850-432-1475.

ECAT

• Due to flooding and roadway debris, ECAT will not run bus or trolley service Thursday, Sept. 17. ECAT will resume transportation as soon as it's safe to do so. 

Emerald Coast Utilities Authority.

• Effective immediately, the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority is issuing a system-wide Precautionary Boil Water Notice -PBWN- to its water system customers. This notice is in response to the significant and wide-spread damages sustained from Hurricane Sally. ECUA crews are already out in the field working to locate, isolate, and repair main breaks in order to restore service as quickly as possible. Although the majority of our 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. Once the number of pending repairs is significantly reduced, the ECUA will revert to issuing separate notices for individual areas. We ask for our customers’ patience and understanding as we work to repair hundreds of breaks, giving priority to our hospitals, dialysis centers, and other critical care facilities.
• 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.
• More information on precautionary boil water notice and key guidelines are available on the ECUA website at ecua.fl.gov/live-green/our-water-supply
• ECUA business offices will be reopen on Thursday, Sept. 17.
• Residential garbage collections for ECUA customers in Escambia County will resume Thursday, Sept. 17. We will pick up collections that were postponed from Tuesday. This is for garbage ONLY. Recycling and yard Waste collections are still on hold.

Escambia County School District

• Superintendent Malcolm Thomas has announced that all offices and schools within the Escambia County School District will be closed Thursday, Sept. 17 and Friday, Sept. 18 due to the devastating effects of Hurricane Sally.

Supervisor of Elections

• The Supervisor of Elections Office will remain closed on Thursday, September 17.  Many of our services are available online at EscambiaVotes.gov.
• Election worker training scheduled for Friday, September 18 and Saturday, September 19 will be rescheduled.  Class attendees will be notified of the new training date and time.

First Judicial Circuit

• State courts in Escambia and Walton Counties will be CLOSED on Thursday and Friday, September 17 and 18, 2020.  Regular operations will resume on Monday, Sept. 21.
• State courts in Santa Rosa and Okaloosa Counties will be CLOSED on Thursday, September 17.  If closure is required on Friday, that announcement will be made as soon as possible.

Florida Department of Transportation

Chipley – The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is providing an update on state road and bridge closures and restrictions in Northwest Florida due to Hurricane Sally. 

Bay County
·       Business U.S. 98 near Arizona Chemical Company is closed due to flooding.

·       S.R. 20 from Racetrack Road to S.R. 77 is closed due to flooding.

Calhoun County
·       S.R. 20 traffic is reduced to one lane at Bob Mayo Lane due to flooding.

·       S.R. 20 traffic is reduced to one lane at Melvin New Grade Road due to flooding.

·       S.R. 20 is closed at Juniper Creek due to flooding.

Escambia County
·       Pensacola International Airport has suspended operations for all arriving and departing commercial aircraft.

·       The Pensacola Bay Bridge on U.S. 98 is closed to all traffic.

·       The U.S. 98 bridge over Perdido Bay remains closed.

Holmes County
·       Intermittent closures on S.R. 81 from I-10 to Windmill Road due to flooding.

Jackson County
·       S.R. 73 is closed at Missouri Road due to flooding.

·       Intermittent closures on S.R. 71 at Caverns Road due to flooding.

·       S.R. 166 (Caverns Road) from Russell Road to S.R. 71 is closed due to flooding.

Okaloosa County

·       U.S. 98 Okaloosa Island westbound travel lanes are open, the eastbound outside lane remains closed due to flooding.
·       U.S. 98 at Hurlburt Field westbound lanes are closed. Eastbound travel lanes have been modified to handle two-way traffic (one eastbound and one westbound) at this time.
·       I-10 Shoal River Bridge is closed due to flooding.

Santa Rosa County
·       Garcon Point Bridge (S.R. 281) is open to limited to two-axle vehicles. Emergency service vehicles, including ambulances and fire trucks, are permitted to cross the bridge as well as sport utility vehicles, pick-up trucks, and private vehicles towing single or double axle trailers. Trucks need to continue to follow the truck detour routes.

·       S.R. 281 (Avalon Blvd) is closed between I-10 and Carroll Road due to flooding.

·       Eastbound U.S. 98 from Pier Road to Palmetto Street is closed due to flooding.

·       Westbound U.S. 98 at Woodland Park Lane is closed due to flooding.

Washington County

·       S.R. 277 from Pioneer to Clayton Road remains closed due to flooding.

FDOT actively monitors bridges for wind hazards and evaluates for closure when sustained winds reach 40 miles per hour (mph). The Florida Highway Patrol or local law enforcement will close bridges once wind speeds become high enough to create hazardous driving conditions. As wind speeds continue to rise, law enforcement and FDOT personnel will be required to seek shelter and use of the road will be at a motorist’s own risk.

Motorists are encouraged to monitor weather reports and road conditions and to be on the lookout for flooded roads. If the road ahead is flooded, turn around and find an alternate route. Flooded roads may hide the fact that the roadway is washed out underneath and as little as six inches of rushing water can force your car off the road.

For the latest closures and updates, travelers can access Florida’s 511 service from cell phones, landlines and online at www.FL511.com. For more information visit the Florida Department of Transportation District Three on the web at www.nwflroads.com, follow us on Twitter @myfdot_nwfl, or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MyFDOTNWFL.

Florida Department of Health in Escambia County

• Offices will be closed Thursday, Sept. 17 and there will be no COVID-19 testing.
• Carbon Monoxide dangers: http://www.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/2020/09/091520-carbon-monoxide-dangers.pr.html
• Health risks after a storm

Gulf Power

For the latest outage map and to report an outage visit https://map.gulfpower.com/ and 800-487-6937. News releases are at https://www.gulfpowernews.com/. There are approximately 142,000 households without power. 

Escambia River Electric Cooperative, Inc.

• The EREC power system received significant damage from Hurricane Sally with 95% of members without electricity immediately following the storm. Crews are working around the clock restoring power as quickly and safely as possible.

  Escambia County received significant damage to the transmission lines feeding the Bratt and Oak Grove substations. Our generation and transmission facility, PowerSouth Energy Cooperative, is hard at work getting those lines repaired to energize the substations. Once those repairs are complete, all the distribution work that has been done following the storm will result in the power being restored to some members on those substations. Immediately, line crews will continue to work on main distribution and tap lines to continue bringing members online.

  EREC will have approximately 100 additional line personnel in the field today working to assist power restoration to the system. Crews will continue to work, day and night, until all power has been restored.

  For the latest closures and updates, travelers can access Florida’s 511 service from cell phones, landlines and online at www.FL511.com. For more information visit the Florida Department of Transportation District Three on the web at www.nwflroads.com, follow us on Twitter @myfdot_nwfl, or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MyFDOTNWFL.

 Governor's Press Office

• Today, Governor DeSantis held a press conference regarding Hurricane Sally at the State Emergency Operations Center following a briefing from FDEM Director Moskowitz and State Meteorologist Amy Godsey. The press conference is available to view here.

• Governor DeSantis issued Executive Order 20-225, expanding the state of emergency for Hurricane Sally to the following counties: Escambia, Santa Rosa, Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Liberty, Okaloosa, Walton and Washington.

NAS Pensacola

• NAS Pensacola remains at Condition of Readiness I. The west gate is currently closed and the Main Gate is open with one inbound and one outbound lane.
• Only mission essential personnel should report to the installation on Thursday, Sept. 17.
• More information about the base will be forth coming as we continue to do damage assessments. 

Pensacola Chamber

Escambia County Key Business Opening Status as of Sept. 16, 2020 (4:30 p.m.)

Store openings/closings

Publix:            https://ww4.publix.com/pages/publix-storm-basics/publix-store-status

Winn-Dixie:     https://www.winndixie.com/weather-update

Home Depot:     https://corporate.homedepot.com/hurricane-sally-store-status

Lowes:             https://corporate.lowes.com/newsroom/stories/hurricane-sally-store-hours-closings

FloridaDisaster.Biz Open/Close Status: https://www.floridadisaster.biz/BusinessOpenCloseStatus

UWF

• UWF will be closed until Monday, Sept. 21 through 4:59 a.m. 

Pensacola Christian Academy

• Pensacola Christian Academy and Pensacola Christian College will be closed Thursday, Sept. 17 and Friday, Sept. 18. Non-essential employees should not report to work Thursday and Friday. 

Generator Safety Tips and Precautions

• It is important that generators be operated properly. Do not operate gas generators indoors because of carbon monoxide. Please follow this link for more information and to learn the dangers of carbon monoxide. http://www.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/2020/09/091520-carbon-monoxide-dangers.pr.html
• Do not drive or walk through standing water. Power lines could be down and cause electrocution.

• Do not attempt to move downed power lines. Please contact Gulf Power at 1-800-GU-POWER  (1-800-487-6937)

• Unless you are in a life-threatening situation, please shelter in place and do not venture out.

Chain Saw Safety

• Become familiar with the recommended safe operational procedures before attempting to work with a chain saw.
• Be sure that you are in top physical and mental condition when operating dangerous machinery. Medications and alcohol can cause you to be a hazard to yourself and others when working with chain saws.
• Equip yourself with protective clothing and equipment including safety goggles, hearing protection, steel-toed shoes, hard hat, gloves, and close-fitting clothing.
• Never make cuts with the saw between your legs; always cut with the saw to the outside of your legs.
• Don’t stand on a log and saw between your feet.
• Always stand to one side of the limb you are cutting; never straddle it.
• Always keep in mind where the chain will go if it breaks; never position yourself or other people in line with the chain.
• Keep the chain out of the dirt; debris will fly.

Tips on choosing a contractor:
No permitting is required for emergency storm repairs. Emergency repairs are for achieving a basic level of safety for occupancy of a structure.

• Ask to see their license and call the appropriate licensing agency – Escambia County Contractor Licensing Section for a county license or DBPR for state license to verify the status and insurance.
• Contractor Search
• Ask for and verify references from past customers.
• Check with the local Better Business Bureau. 
• Get a written estimate from several licensed contractors. Be sure that the estimate includes all work to be done by the contractor, the materials involved, date of completion and the total cost.
• Don't simply take the lowest bid. An abnormally low bid could lead to trouble later on. 
• If the project is for repairing damage, check with your insurance company before you sign a contractor to verify that your insurance will cover the repairs.
• An occupational license is not sufficient in the construction trades.
• Beware of alleged contractors who ask to be paid in cash or ask for large payments up front.

Report Price Gouging
Report fraud by calling the Price Gouging Hotline at 1-866-9 - NO-SCAM (1-866-966--7226
Visit www.MyFloridaLegal.com to find consumer tips or to file a complaint.

Helpful Links and Contacts

Outages:

• Gulf Power:  1-800-GU-POWER  (1-800-487-6937)
• Escambia River Electric Cooperative: 1-877-OUT-EREC  (1-877-688-3732)
• ECUA General Customer Service: (850) 476-0480

Law Enforcement:  All emergencies: 911

• Escambia County Sheriff’s Office: 850-436-9630
• Florida Highway Patrol: 850-484-5000
• Pensacola Police Department: 850-435-1900

Utilities

• AT&T: 888-757-6500
• Central Water Works (Century): 850-256-3849
• Central Water Works Sunshine State One Call (call before you dig): 811
• Emerald Coast Utilities Authority: 850-476-0480
• Escambia River Electric - Co-op outages: 877-687-3732
• Escambia River Electric - Gulf Power outages: 800-487-6937
• Escambia River Electric - ESP Gas: 850-474-5307
• Gonzalez Utilities: 850-968-5434
• Farm Hill Utilities (Cantonment): 850-968-2573
• Gulf Power outages: 800-487-6937
• Molino Utilities: 850-587-5538
• Pensacola Energy: 850-474-5300
• Peoples Water: 850-455-8552
• Town of Century (water/natural gas): 850-256-3208

How You Can Help

• United Way of West Florida (UWWF) will open a relief fund for those affected by Hurricane Sally.
• UWWF will accept financial contributions to the fund to provide support to these households.
• UWWF will accept financial contributions to help victims of Hurricane Sally.
• BRACE strongly encourages Cash, Confirm, and Connect through cash donations the affected can receive the aid they need. 
• At this time, there are no needed items for those impacted by Hurricane Sally. ESF 15 encourages cash donations to UWWF.

• Potential volunteers for ESF 15 are needed for Government Points Of Distribution (GPODs). If you are interested in volunteering, please register on Get Connected: https://bit.ly/3kvkz5d. Assignments begin on Monday, September 21, 2020.