Escambia County is beginning rescue and recovery efforts after Hurricane Isaias, which made landfall at about 8:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9 near Destin, Florida as a category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 105 mph.
Public safety is the top priority as Escambia County begins to enter the recovery phase. EMS, Fire, and law enforcement resumed calls for service once the storm passed and conditions were safe. First responders are working as quickly as possible to respond to 911 calls received during the storm, so those in need of emergency services can rest assured that help is on the way.
Additional Updates:
- Tree clearing: Escambia County crews are actively working to clear numerous downed trees throughout the county, with a priority on clearing roadways needed to access critical facilities such as hospitals. The public's patience is appreciated as crews work to clear major thoroughfares first before clearing trees on roadways in neighborhoods. Please note that crews will begin with "cut and toss" operations to simply move the trees out of the roadway, and will return later in the recovery process to fully remove the trees and debris.
- Stay off the roadway: Although the impacts of the storm have passed, conditions remain unsafe. Please stay home and allow first responders and crews to work on recovery efforts. If you must drive, use extra caution on the roads and watch for downed trees, power lines and debris. Remember to treat intersections with traffic signal outages as four-way stops.
- Road closures: View road closure information at MyEscambia.com/roads or fl511.com.
- Boil water notice: A boil water notice remains in effect for all ECUA customers. Customers should assume their water may be affected and take the necessary precautions until ECUA announces that the notice has been lifted. Click here for more information. ECUA is working with debris clearing crews to gain access to water wells and begin the process of restoring water service as quickly as possible. Stay tuned to ecua.fl.gov or the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority Facebook page for updates.
- Damage assessments: Escambia County will begin damage assessments Saturday morning, Oct. 10.
- Power outages: Florida Power and Light is reporting approximately 116,000 customers without power in Escambia County. Customers can check the FPL Power Tracker Northwest FL for updates.
- Downed power lines: Call 1-800-4-OUTAGE (1-800-468-8243) immediately to report a dangerous condition such as a downed power line. Please note, if you have already reported a downed power line, there is no need to report it again. Please call 911 for life-threatening emergencies.
- Citizen Information Line: The Escambia County Citizen Information Line (850-471-6600) is currently down, in addition to the Public Safety Office main line at 850-471-6400. Anyone in need of information can call 211.
Hurricane Isaias Relief:
- BRACE staff is working diligently to manage the ESF-15 Volunteers and Donations support for both Escambia and Santa Rosa County Emergency Management. To report any unmet needs, please call 211 and any needs will be assessed once the storm has passed. To make a donation, please click here.
Updates will continue to be posted online at myescambia.com. For the latest news and updates on emergencies impacting the community, like Escambia County Emergency Management on Facebook and follow @EscambiaBeReady on Instagram.
Escambia County EMS responds after Hurricane Isaias.
Escambia County Fire Rescue performs search and rescue operations after Hurricane Isaias.
