Hurricane Michael Archive

Update 10/10/18 1730

Evacuation Order for Hurricane Michael is no longer in effect. As residents return to their homes please exercise caution.  Please be aware of potential water hazards on Highway 98.

Okaloosa Island water infrastructure is fully operational and there are no boil water notices for Okaloosa County Water and Sewer customers.

The following roadways and bridges remain closed:

Meigs Road in Shalimar

Clyde B. Wells Bridge (US Highway 331-Walton County)

Okaloosa County Administration offices to include Court Services will be closed on Thursday, October 11, 2018. 

UPDATE 10.10.18 1500

Afternoon Update

               National Hurricane Center says winds have averaged about 29 miles per hour around Okaloosa County. FDOT currently has not closed any roadways or bridges in Okaloosa County.

               1,949 Gulf Power customers are currently without power. Chelco reports 568 customers without power at this time. Chelco has stated that they will begin responding to power outages north of I-10 first.

               Evacuees are currently leaving the shelter in large numbers. More than 100 have left within the last two hours. We have about 200 people left in the shelter.

               Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office representatives state that the damage around the county is minimal.  Ocean City- Wright Fire District says that few power lines are down. A few trees are down as well. Both agencies will operate as normal tomorrow according to their leadership.  The Public Works Department says there was very little debris on the roads and only one traffic signal was currently out.  Crews will be out to assess damage within the next few hours.  Water and Sewer reports that Okaloosa Island still has valve on and assumed it will come back on.

The Shoal River is currently at 5.03 feet.  Flood stage is at 8 feet.

UPDATE 10.10.2018 1515

EVACUATION FOR LOW LYING COASTAL AREAS, LAND SOUTH OF US 98

Okaloosa County has declared a state of emergency in advance of Hurricane Michael. The hurricane's trajectory puts the storm en route to Panama City Beach and Apalachicola. The county has declared an evacuation for all properties south of US 98 as well as all low lying and coastal areas. The commission asks that all persons in this area make preperations to leave their homes. Davidson Middle School is open only to persons with special needs.  If you do not have a special need, please go to Raider Arena at the Northwest Florida State College campus in Niceville. Evacuees arriving at the Raider Arena need to bring their own cots for resting: air mattresses, small bedding items, etc.

Roads:

• Tree fallen on Tanglewood Drive. Okaloosa County Roads is working to clear the area.

• Antioch Road in Crestview and Meigs Road in Shalimar are flooded.

• Clyde B. Wells Bridge (US HWY 331) is closed in Walton County.

• Indian Bayou Trail is closed in Destin.

• Shalimar Drive at the Plew intersection is closed in Shalimar.

• US HWY 98 west bound at Fudpuckers and Wendy's in Destin is closed.

• White Point Road at Berringer Drive intersection in Niceville is closed.

• 4th Avenue at Farmer Road intersection in Crestivew is closed.

• FDOT Road Advisory Updates: "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."--FDOT 10/10/2018 www.fdot.gov
  • Bay County
    • Port Panama City is closed.
  • Calhoun County
    • Trammel Bridge over the Apalachicola River on State Road (S.R.) 20 closed as of 10am CDT.
  • Escambia County
    • Port Pensacola is closed.
  • Gulf County
    • US 98 (S.R. 30-A) is closed from West Rutherford St. to Cape San Blas Rd.
    • S.R. 30-E (Cape San Blas Rd.) is closed.
  • Wakulla County
    • S.R. 363 is closed from St. Marks City Hall to the St. Marks River

Hospitals and Patient Care:

• Destin ER (200 Tequesta Dr, Destin, FL 32541) is closed.
• Eglin AFB Hospital and ER (307 Boatner Rd, Eglin AFB, FL 32542) are closed.
• Sacred Heart Hospital (7800 US-98, Miramar Beach, FL 32550) ER is open; however, the hospital is not accepting inpatient admissions at this time.
• All other hospitals in Okaloosa County are open until further notice.
• Outpatient dialysis will reopen on Thursday, 10/11 at 8am, if weather permits. For more information, please contact Joan Pastef (850) 621-6244.

Homelessness & Housing Alliance (HHA):

• HHA is assisting with transportation to shelters and offering to help pay for gas, Uber, or other private transport, if needed.
  • Please call (850) 833-9168 for reservations and transportation service questions.
• Gregg Chapel AME's Life Center on Carson Drive in Fort Walton Beach is open for shelter and needs volunteers and supplies.
  • Please call (850) 243-5925 for inquiries.

Airports

• CEW (Crestview) and DTS (Destin) are closed until further notice.
• The Destin-FWB Airport (VPS) plans to open at 4:00am on Thursday, 10/11.

Okaloosa County Schools & Offices

• Okaloosa County Schools will be closed Thursday, 10/11/2018.
• Okaloosa County offices will be closed to business on Thursday, 10/11/2018. County employees are still needed at the Emergency Operations Center for assistance with disaster recovery. 

Public Transit

• The Greyhound bus station is closed until further notice.

Niceville -- Okaloosa County Staff and Officials are preparing for Hurricane Michael’s approach. Currently, Okaloosa County is at a level one activation for our Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Niceville. This means staff have come in to prepare for the adverse effects of tropical weather on our area.

County staff have isolated the valve which connects the water system of Okaloosa Island and the rest of the county's water and sewer infrastructure.  This means residents who stayed on the island ahead of hurricane Michael will now rely on the tanks located on the island.  These tanks are pressurized and county officials believe the tanks will provide between 24 and 36 hours of clean drinking water. For this reason, we are asking people on the island to conserve water to the greatest extent.

Hurricane Michael currently sustains winds of 150 miles per hour and continues on a northward path at a rate of fourteen miles per hour. County officials expect the storm to make landfall on the Florida Gulf Coast as a strong category four on Wednesday afternoon. Tropical storm force winds are expected to affect Okaloosa County until approx. 10:00pm on 10/10/2018.

Two swift-water rescue teams have been activated. One will work in the north side and another will work south of Eglin AFB.

The Florida Department of Transportation will close all of the bridges once sustained winds exceed 39 miles per hour. They will do this without warning. The County is asking people who must use bridges to evacuate and wish to do so to evacuate as soon as possible. The governor has lifted tolls for bridges in advance of this storm.

Okaloosa County’s jail stands ready to withstand the affects of the storm. The jail has four days of food on hand to supply the inmates and will be able to serve food with or without power. The generators for the jail are fueled and ready to provide power as well.

For more information on how to prepare, CLICK HERE to download our hurricane guide. 

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