Quantcast wmbb.com - Santa Rosa County Braces for Hurricane Gustav Impact
Click Here

--- Advertisement ---

Santa Rosa County Braces for Hurricane Gustav Impact
08/31/08 - 02:52 PM
Santa Rosa County Emergency Management
 RSS Feed
Santa Rosa County

Santa Rosa County Emergency Management continues to monitor Gustav and prepare for the potential effects of the storm.  The specific path of the storm and impact to area is still subject to change; at this time the National Weather Service is predicting the following conditions for our area:

We are currently under a tropical storm warning.
Bands of rain can be expected as early as this afternoon.
Deadly rip currents and surf conditions can be expected.
Sustained winds of 20-25 mph this evening with tropical force storm gusts.
Possible 2-4 foot storm surge.
Up to 2-4 inches of rain.
Isolated threat of tornadoes and thunderstorms.

Actions by Santa Rosa County

County Administrator Hunter Walker signed a local state of emergency at 11 a.m. Sunday morning.
Santa Rosa County is ready to take all steps possible to ensure the safety of our residents and visitors.
The emergency operations center is at a level 2 or partial activation with key staff. All emergency staff are on call.
Public works has placed all staff on call, have staged equipment and are prepared to take action.  Their first priority will be to clear roads for first responders.

Evacuations

As a precautionary measure, a voluntary evacuation of campers, mobile homes and Navarre Beach has been issued.
Those choosing to leave the area are encouraged to leave in the early afternoon as weather conditions are expected to decline.
Please be patient and remain calm while driving as traffic is already heavier than normal.

Shelters

·      The American Red Cross will open a shelter at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Milton Community Center- 5629 Byrom Street for both special needs and the general population.
·      Those with special needs must come with their own caregiver and call (850) 983-4636 before arriving at the shelter.
·      Anyone needing transportation assistance to a shelter, call (850) 983-4636.
·      If you go to a public evacuation shelter, you will need to take the following items:

o     Personal identification and important papers.
o     A change of clothing, rain gear and sturdy shoes.
o     Toiletries and personal items.
o     Blankets or sleeping bags.
o     Games or toys for children; books for adults.
o     Special items for infants or elderly family members.
o     Any special dietary needs and nonperishable foods for snacks.
o     Battery operated radio, flashlights and plenty of spare batteries.
o     Prescription medications or any over-the-counter medications you normally take.

Sand Bags
Sand and sand bags are available at the following sites/times today until 5 p.m., or while supplies last. Residents should bring shovels and be prepared to fill and load their own bags. There is a 25-bag limit per vehicle.

Skyline Fire and Rescue District- 6924 Highway 87
Pace Fire Rescue District -4773 Pace Patriot Blvd. (The new station location, not the old station next to Pace Assembly of God)
Midway Fire District (bags only) - 1322 College Parkway
Tiger Point Park (sand only)-1370 Tiger Park Lane, anytime while supplies last
The City of Gulf Breeze does not currently have sand bags available at this time. The city is continuing to monitor the situation and may make sand bags available at a later time.


Ice
Santa Rosa County has been advised by the state that if a storm affects Santa Rosa County, ice will not be available at any points of distribution sites.  Life sustaining items such as food and water will be available only if the situation warrants. Residents are encouraged to take the following steps before any potential loss of power:

Turn your refrigerator up to highest setting while you still have power.
Use dry ice, if available. Twenty-five pounds of dry ice will keep a ten-cubic-foot freezer below freezing for 3-4 days. Use care when handling dry ice, and wear dry, heavy gloves to avoid injury.
Buy bags of ice, or use your ice machine to make your own in advance:
Continually empty manual ice trays, place ice in baggies and refill with water.
Continually empty your automatic icemaker storage bin, by bagging the ice, so your icemaker will continue to make more ice.
Fill milk jugs or other containers with water and freeze.


Beach Conditions
Beachgoers, swimmers and surfers should heed red flag warnings and stay out of the water.
Steps Residents Can Take

Remain calm. Make sure your disaster kit contains non-perishable food, water, medications for 3-5 days for each family member and pet.
Bring in outdoor objects such as lawn furniture and toys. Anchor objects that can not be brought inside.
Know what low-lying areas near your home are subject to flooding such as creeks, drainage channels, streams and bayous.
Stay away from moving water.  Moving water six inches deep can sweep you off your feet.
Leave your home if advised or if you feel threatened.
If you have time, turn off all utilities at the main switch and move all valuables to a higher floor if possible, but only if you have time.
Please do not call 9-1-1 to report power outages. Power outages should be reported to Gulf Power at
1-800-GU-Power (1-800-487-6937) or Escambia River Cooperative, Inc. at 1-877-OUT-EREC or 1-877-688-3732

Residents are asked to stay off the roads on Sunday night and Monday morning. Any road closures will be announced as they occur.
Mariners should heed small-craft warnings and remain in port.
The county’s 44-page disaster guide is available online at www.santarosa.fl.gov, under what’s hot- Gustav information. The 2008 guide features preparation information for all kinds of disasters including pandemics, wildfires, tornados, hazardous chemical accidents as well as hurricanes.
Government Offices/Schools
At this time, no plans have been made to close offices or cancel school. However, this can change in the next two days.
City of Gulf Breeze
The City of Gulf Breeze has established an e-mail list to provide community and emergency information to residents.  Sign up at the City’s website: www.cityofgulfbreeze.com and follow the link under “Emails from the City” on the front page.

User Comments
WMBB.com requires that you be a registered site member to post comments and content.
Why Register?
First, we are not being sneaky and gathering your email or other information to sell to telemarketers or e-mail spam companies.

Registration on this site is required simply to allow us to keep people who would post discriminatory, threatening and harassing messages and comments from doing it again.

By having user registration, we hope to provide you with a better user experience. Please view WMBB.com's full Terms & Conditions