Hurricane Sally Update from Escambia County Sept. 21 at 11 a.m.

Published Sep 21, 2020

The curfew for the county and city expired at 6 a.m. Monday, Sept. 21, but it may be extended if deemed necessary by law enforcement. 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 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 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. 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.
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.
Success Academy is closed as a shelter. The Pensacola Bay Center is going to a Host shelter ran by the American Red Cross starting at noon on Saturday Sept 19, 2020.
We are working on county infrastructure assessments. Preliminary estimates are $139 million of damage to public and private property in the county and city of Pensacola.
- County employees are expected to report into work on Monday, Sept. 21 at your normal location and to work your normal hours unless otherwise instructed by your supervisor. All buildings have water, however, not all have been cleared for drinking purposes so please bring drinking water to work.
- County offices will only be open to the public at the Central Office Complex for building permits.
Lake Stone campground has been reopened as power has been restored and fallen trees handled. Interested campers for Lake Stone should call the campground directly at 850-256-5555.
The Equestrian Center is available for horse owners from effected areas. For stall information, interested horse owners should contact the Equestrian Center directly at 850-941-6042 in which owners will be briefed on the required paperwork for the horses to be stalled at the facility.
Perdido Landfill opened on Thursday, Sept. 17, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The media is invited to attend a press conference, Monday, Sept. 21, at the Public Safety building, 6575 N. "W" St., inside the media room regarding the latest updates on Hurricane Sally. The press conference will take place at 3 p.m. The meeting will also be streamed live on the Escambia County Emergency Management Facebook page.
We would like to thankallour media partners for getting information to residents during Hurricane Sally. A few residents who lack power have reminded us that radio updates are the best for them. WUWF 88.1 FM has been airing all our press conferences in their entirety.
Contractors can get building permits at the COC, 3363 West Park Place, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.
Escambia County will begin curbsideremoval of debris generated by Hurricane Sally on Wednesday, Sept. 23.
- Debris that was generated by Hurricane Sally should be placed and sorted on the area immediately adjoining the road in front of your home.
- The county has divided its jurisdiction into three zones and contracted with three separate companies to accomplish the debris removal in 90 days.
If you need assistance with debris cleanup, mucking, tarp installation and mold remediation, please contact Crisis Cleanup at 800.451.1954
Florida Baptist Disaster Relief is also available to assist with debris cleanup, mucking, tarp installation and mold remediation – 904.253.9924
Building Services – has provided over 1,200 assessments of private structures and is continuing to work over the weekend.
Engineering/Roads – We have opened 500 roads since mid-day Wednesday
The Escambia County Board of County Commissioners will hold a budget hearing to discuss approving the proposed Fiscal Year 2020-2021 budget Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 5:31 p.m. The meeting will take place in the Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building, Board Chambers found on the first floor of 221 Palafox Place. Click here to view the agenda.
Food and water distribution sites announced in the aftermath of Hurricane Sally:https://bit.ly/3ksdNwU
PODS are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There have been 11,350 cars that have gone to the PODS for ice, water, food and tarps. Today is the last day the PODS will be open due to more infrastructure returning. There will continue to be feeding resources in the community.
List of Confirmed Feeding Sites for today 9/21
Mercy Chefs Feeding
- Brownsville Community Center – 11am-5pm Confirmed through Wednesday Sept. 23.
Salvation Army Feeding locations:
- Century Industrial Parkway- a fixed feeding site has been established at Century Industrial Parkway at 6801 Industrial Blvd., Century, FL 32535 ~ Hours: Lunch at noon & Dinner at 4:30 p.m.
- Point Church- a fixed feeding site has been established at Point Church at 13801 Innerarity Point Rd., Pensacola, FL 32507 ~ Hours: Lunch at noon & Dinner at 4:30 p.m.
- AMC- a fixed feeding site has been established at AMC at 161 East Nine Mile Rd., Pensacola, FL 32526 ~ Hours: Lunch at noon & Dinner at 4:30 p.m.
- Brent Ball Park- a fixed feeding site has been established at corner of Beverly Pkwy & W St., Pensacola, FL ~Hours: Lunch at noon & Dinner at 4:30 p.m.
- Equestrian Center- a fixed feeding site has been established at Equestrian Center at 7750 Mobile Hwy, Beulah, FL ~Hours: Lunch at noon & Dinner at 4:30 p.m.
- Olive Baptist- a fixed feeding site has been established at Olive Baptist (Warrington) at 103 Winthrop Ave., Pensacola, FL 32507 ~ Hours: Lunch at noon & Dinner at 4:30 p.m.
- Park near The Salvation Army ~ Pensacola- a fixed feeding site has been established at Park near The Salvation Army Corps ~ Hours: Lunch at noon & Dinner at 4:30 p.m.
- Pensacola Village- a fixed feeding site has been established at Pensacola Village Apartments 500 E Fairfield Dr. Hours: Lunch at noon & Dinner at 4:30 p.m.
Red Cross Feeding
- ~~Olive Baptist Church, 1836 East Olive Rd Pensacola FL 32514- Begin serving 12noon/ We will also serve dinner.~~(CORRECTION - MOBILE FEEDING ONLY)

There will be a job fair Monday, Sept. 21 and Tuesday, Sept. 22:

Central Office Complex- 3363 West Park Place Pensacola, FL 32505
Time: Noon (12 p.m.)- 4 p.m.
Compensation: $1,000+ / week
18+ years of age and proof of citizenship/authorization to work in US
12 hours per day – 7 days per week
Driver’s license, safe driving record, automobile, and proof of insurance required

Interested applicants can inquire at:

www.hurricanejob.comand select the “Hurricane Sally Debris Monitor - Escambia County, FL”
Phone: (319) 750-1026 and leave your contact information.

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.
At this time, the Parks and Recreation Department is in the process of initial damage assessments at our Escambia County parks. While in this process, we are strongly encouraging the public to refrain from park use until initial clean up and safety efforts are made.

Traffic Signals

264 traffic signals managed by FDOT and the county were assessed. We have 244 back up and running, with 14 on flashers. Crews are still working. Only 6 are non-operational.
Traffic signal just restored at Pensacola Beach. About half-dozen traffic signals system-wide to restore, teams are working hard to restore all signals.

Ascension Sacred Heart

The COVID-19 drive-through testing center in Pensacola operated by Ascension Sacred Heart will be open on Monday, Sept. 21 from 9 am.. to 1 p.m.

Baptist Health Care

All Baptist Health Care facilities are back to normal operations. For all locations, patients are being contacted directly to reschedule cancelled appointments. We thank you for your patience as we worked through the challenges presented by Hurricane Sally.
These clinics will be open Saturday, Sept. 19:
• Baptist Medical Park – Nine Mile Urgent Care
• Baptist Medical Park – Airport Urgent Care
• Baptist Medical Park – Pace Walk-in Care
• Baptist Medical Park – Navarre Walk-in Care
The regular Jay Hospital phone number has been restored. To reach Jay Hospital, please call 675-8000.
Debris removal is ongoing at many of our campuses, so please be cautious if you visit. Please visit facebook.com/BaptistHealthCare for updates.

City of Pensacola

Pensacola International Airport reopened at noon on Friday, Sept. 18, to commercial air traffic. The PNS operations team has worked with all airport partners to ensure the airport is safe and secure in order to resume normal operations.
This determination comes after extensive coordination with TSA, airlines, parking, Air Traffic Control and security teams.
While the airport facilities are open, passengers will need to work with their airline to determine flight schedules and availability. Many flights may still be canceled, and it may take a couple of days for the airlines to resume their normal operations.
American Airlines, United Airlines, and Frontier resumed flights Saturday, Sept. 19. Delta and Southwest began commercial air travel on Friday, Sept. 18. Please check with your airline to determine flight availability.
Passengers are reminded to continue to adhere to the safety precautions put in place due to COVID-19. Masks are still required to be worn, and passengers are asked to maintain appropriate distancing while at the airport.
For more information about Pensacola International Airport, visit flypensacola.com.
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.
City offices are scheduled to reopen Monday, Sept. 21. City community resource centers will reopen for mask and feeding programs only on Monday, Sept. 21, provided power has been restored to the facilities.
Fricker Resource Center will remain closed until further notice.
Vickrey Community Center will remain closed until further notice.
Parks managed by the City of Pensacola are closed to the public until deemed safe from the aftermath of Hurricane Sally.
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 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.
If you smell natural gas or see a damaged gas line, please call Pensacola Energy at 474-5307.
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.
City of Pensacola Sanitation Services will be modified next week so that every customer will receive garbage pickup twice. Customers will receive garbage pickup only (no recycling) the week of Sept. 21.
Garbage pickup next week will be as follows (applies to City of Pensacola Sanitation customers only):
- Monday, Sept. 21: Monday and Tuesday customers will receive garbage pickup only.
- Tuesday, Sept. 22: Wednesday and Thursday customers will receive garbage pickup only.
- Wednesday, Sept. 23: Monday and Tuesday customers will receive garbage pickup only.
- Thursday, Sept. 24: Wednesday and Thursday customers will receive garbage pickup only.
The public's patience is appreciated as crews work to clear major thoroughfares first before clearing trees on roadways in city neighborhoods. Crews are working as quickly as possible to remove downed trees from the roadways.
Drivers are urged to use extra caution on the roads and watch for downed trees, power lines and debris. Please remember to treat intersections with traffic signal outages as four-way stops.
Pensacola City Council will hold an Emergency Meeting on Monday, Sept. 21 to extend the Mayoral Declaration of the State of Emergency for Hurricane Sally.
Of the city's 92 signalized intersections, only 10 remain not working due to no power. The remaining 10 are expected to be restored within the next 24 hours, according to Gulf Power restoration estimates.
All major stormwater ponds are being pumped down successfully, and storm inlets/pipes are being cleared by city crews.
Damage assessments of city building facilities are ongoing, currently about 95% complete. The current damage estimate for city building facilities is at approximately $10 million.
City Parks and Recreation facilities are currently being assessed for damages. The damage assessments will continue into next week.
353 trees have been reported blocking roadways so far, and approximately 210 of those have been removed. All remaining blockages should be cleared within the next week.
The City of Pensacola, in coordination with the Escambia County Emergency Operations Center and the Salvation Army, will be distributing 500 free to-go meals Sunday, Sept. 20 at Woodland Heights Community Resource Center, located at 111 Berkley Drive in Pensacola.
Meals will be available to-go only on a first come, first served basis. Distribution will begin at 12:30 p.m. and will last until meals run out. This meal site will have walk-up access only. This is not a drive-up feeding site, and the parking lot will be closed to vehicle traffic.
City of Pensacola Parks and Recreation, in coordination with the Escambia County Emergency Operations Center and FEMA, will be distributing free tarps and water on Monday, Sept. 21 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.or until supplies are gone.
Mayor Grover Robinson will host his weekly press conference Monday, Sept. 21 in the Media Room at the Escambia County Emergency Operations Center, located at 6575 N. "W" St. The press conference will be streamed live on Mayor Robinson's Facebook page at facebook.com/PensacolaMayor.

Clerk of Court

All offices of Pam Childers, Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, will be closed Monday, Sept. 21st.

Community Health Northwest Florida

All Community Health Northwest Florida sites will be open for patient care tomorrow 9/21 and Tuesday 9/22, resuming regular business hours with the following exceptions:

Pediatric Convenient Care and Jordan Street Walk-in Care will close at 6PM.
CHNWF Pediatric Care Clinic at C.A. Weis Elementary School will remain closed.
CHNWF Adult Care Clinic at Waterfront Rescue Mission will remain closed.
Monday's COVID-19 mobile testing at W. Jackson Street is cancelled.

Cox

Cox crews have completed hundreds of miles of damage assessments along the Gulf Coast network and are restoring service outages caused by Hurricane Sally. Cox teams began reconnecting neighborhoods after power is restored. As of this morning, we have reestablished services to over half of our impacted customers.

ECAT

ECAT will not run bus or trolley service Monday, Sept. 21.
ECCT will only be providing life-sustaining transports.
ECAT phone lines are down. We apologize for any inconvenience. Anyone needing transport to shelters should call the Citizen Information Center at 850-471-6600.
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
The Water Reclamation Plant on Pensacola Beach is back online. Our crews are working to locate, isolate, and repair water and sewer main breaks on the beach in order to fully restore services. The system-wide precautionary boil water notice will apply to Pensacola Beach once water service is restored.
We ask all residents to make sure their garbage cans are not full of storm water. Please take a few minutes to check them and empty them out. The water makes them too heavy for the automated truck arm to pick them up.
The ECUA water system is now pressurized to the point that allows us to begin our sampling protocol, with approval from our partners at FDEP. We have several sampling teams that have begun an aggressive sampling program throughout our service area.
This effort is usually completed over the course of one month but our teams will be working to complete this over the course of approximately 72 hours, to expedite the process required to lift the Precautionary Boil Water Notice.
At this time, our expectation is to begin clearing portions of our system within 3 to 4 days. As our sampling effort unfolds, we will have more accurate projections and issue that information as it becomes available.
There are approximately 98 lift stations without power.
Water Boil notices will be rescinded when within FDEP limits.
ECUA phones are finally back in service but are experiencing an extremely high volume, which may make it difficult to get through. Customers are urged to check the Call Center Activity Counter on our website to determine the best time to call by following this link: https://ecua.fl.gov/ecua-call-center-stats Our customer service number at (850) 476-0480, Monday-Friday, 8:30 am-5:00 pm. and the emergency after hours number is (850) 476-5110. Thanks to Cox Communications for working hard to get us back up and we are extra grateful for all the volunteers in the Citizens' Information Center at the County's EOC for handling calls while our phone lines were down.
As residents work to clean up their properties and put storm debris out for collection, whether by City or County contractors, we urge you to please remember to place all debris well away from their water meter. This will help protect it from being damaged or impaired by the mechanical equipment used to collect the debris.

Escambia County Animal Services

The state ESF-17 and Escambia County Animal Services has requested and received all of the assistance we need from The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). We do not need further assistance from other organizations.
Beware of scams. We would encourage people not to donate to any animal rescue organizations for this event. It is common for people to solicit donations for assisting animals during disaster, post photos from the area that are not theirs and never even be in the area.
With the help of the Humane Society and the Friends of the Escambia County Animal Shelter, the Escambia County Animal Shelter was able to successfully relocate close to 100 animals who were available for adoption.
Because these animals are being relocated as they search for their forever homes the Escambia County Animal Shelter has space to keep lost animals safe until their owners come to reclaim them. Overall, the Manager of Animal Services John Robinson would like to say “Well done” to all residents of Escambia County for the amount of responsibility shown in properly caring for their four-legged family members throughout Hurricane Sally.

Escambia County School District

Superintendent Malcolm Thomas has announced all schools and offices will be closed Monday September 21 and Tuesday September 22.
Maintenance, Custodial and Facilities staff members have been busy assessing all schools. This is a dynamic situation with focus on power, water and road conditions. The Special Board meeting (Budget meeting) will happen Monday at 5:01 in Room 160 in the J. E. Hall Center and the Regular Meeting will start at 5:30. Mr. Thomas is planning to participate in today’s County press conference at 4:00 pm.

Escambia County Tax Collector's Office

All four Escambia County Tax Collector offices will be open regular hours tomorrow, Monday, September 21, 2020.

Supervisor of Elections

The Supervisor of Elections Office will reopen to the public on Monday, Sept. 21 at 8 a.m. You may visit us in person at 213 Palafox Place, second floor, by phone at 850- 595-3900, via email at soe@EscambiaVotes.com, or on the web at EscambiaVotes.gov.
The election worker training classes on Monday, Sept. 21 will be held as scheduled. Class attendees were contacted via email, phone or text of their class time.
Check our website and follow us on social media for updates.

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