Gov. Scott Releases Updates on Hurricane Michael Response in Bay County

Governor Rick Scott has been in constant communication with local officials and emergency management in Bay County. The following information has been reported to the State Emergency Response Team and includes specific actions the state has taken to aid the residents of Bay County impacted by Hurricane Michael. A dedicated team of federal and state operational leadership is in Mexico Beach and Bay County to support the ongoing response and recovery efforts. They will remain until all operational needs are met.

FEMA Individual Assistance and Public Assistance was approved October 11. Federal re-employment assistance is also now available for individuals in Bay County.

FEMA has dispatched teams of representatives to assist residents with applications and registrations for individual assistance in areas affected by Hurricane Michael. In Bay County, teams are assisting individuals at shelters, food and water distribution locations, and areas identified by emergency management officials as points of high density and elevated need.

FOOD AND WATER

• There are 12 points of distribution in Bay County that are either open or opening.
  • 3604 15th St, Panama City
  • 1011 943 Co Rd 386, Mexico Beach
  • 1900 Michigan Ave, Panama City
  • 2700 Lisenby Ave, Panama City
  • 225 S. Tyndall Parkway, Callaway
  • 2101 FL-77, Panama City
  • 16200 Panama City Beach Parkway, Panama City
  • 1125 Cherry Street, Panama City
  • 640 S.Hwy 22A, Panama City
  • 11332 County Road 388, Youngstown
  • 13410 Hwy 77, Panama City
  • 924 Bay Ave, Panama City
• There are 14 Salvation Army Kitchens/Canteens open in Bay County:
  • 1824 W. 15th St., Panama City, FL 32401
  • 2825 15th Street Panama City, FL 32405
  • 1812 Lynn Haven Parkway, Lynn Haven, FL 32444
  • 725 N Tyndale Parkway, Callaway, FL 32404
  • 705 14th Street, Lynn Haven, FL 32444
  • 7100 US 98, Panama City, FL 32408
  • 600 W 11th St., Panama City, FL 32401
  • Intersection of Hwy 2301 & 231
  • 7115 FL Highway 22, Callaway, FL 32404
  • 513 W 23^rd St., Panama City, FL 32405
  • 2101 S Highway 77, Lynn Haven, FL 32444
  • 10270 Front Beach Rd, Panama City Beach, FL 32407
  • Intersection of First Ave & FL 77, Panama City
  • 201 Paradise Path, Mexico Beach, FL 32410

FUEL

• There are two fueling station set up for first responders and utility crews to rapidly refuel so they can continue working.

COMMUNICATIONS

• Currently, 54 percent of cellular service coverage has been restored in Bay County; a more than 15 percent improvement from yesterday. This does not include mobile cellular assets augmenting the network.

POWER RESTORATION

• 12 push crews are working with utility crews to restore power for utilities that provide service for Bay County.
• Current power outage as of noon is 62,405.
• 150 generators have been deployed to Bay County.

SHELTERS

• Currently two shelters are open:
  • Dean Bozeman High School 13410 Highway 77, Panama City, FL 32409
  • Breakfast Point Academy 601 Richard Jackson Blvd, Panama City Beach, FL 32407

• Visit https://www.floridadisaster.org/shelter-status/ to find information on shelters in your area. This site is being updated as shelters open throughout the day.
• On October 15, FEMA Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) was approved for families in Bay County. TSA provides FEMA-funded short-term lodging in hotels and motels for eligible disaster survivors who are unable to return home for an extended period due to disaster-related damages or inaccessibility of their communities. FEMA is currently notifying eligible families in Bay County of their sheltering options under TSA. Families in Bay County looking to confirm their TSA eligibility should call 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). You can also visit www.DisasterAssistance.gov for more information on TSA and to find participating hotels and motels.

MILITARY SUPPORT

• There are currently 1,169 National Guard troops deployed to Bay County. National Guard troops are assisting with conducting reconnaissance, search and rescue, and road clearance missions.
• Additionally, 240 Florida National Guard soldiers and airmen are staffing Points of Distribution in Bay County.

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• Currently, 588 law enforcement officers have been deployed to Bay County.
• FWC officers continue performing search and rescue, welfare checks, reconnaissance, public safety missions and debris removal assistance in Bay County.

TRANSPORTATION & PUBLIC WORKS

• All state roads in Bay County are open. US 98 remains closed in Bay County.
• FDOT has completed all bridge inspections in Bay County.

SAFETY & SECURITY

• 347 urban search and rescue personnel continue to conduct searches in Bay County.
• Four base camps for response and recovery crews are operating in Bay County.

PUBLIC HEALTH AND MEDICAL

• The Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) is in contact with healthcare facilities to ensure they have the resources they need.
• The following assisted living facilities have been completely evacuated and remain closed:
  • Bee Hive Homes of Lynn Haven, Brookdale Panama City;
  • Charter Senior Living of Panama City;
  • Lisenby on Lake Caroline, Mathison Retirement Community Inc.;
  • Robinsons Residential Care, Summer’s Landing LLC; and
  • Southern Assisted Care LLC.
• The following hospitals have been completely evacuated and remain closed:
  • Bay Medical Center & Sacred Heart Health System;
  • Emerald Coast Behavioral Hospital;
  • Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Panama City;
  • Gulf Coast Regional Medical Center; and
  • Select Specialty Hospital- Panama City.
• The following nursing homes have been completely evacuated and remain closed:
  • Bay Center;
  • Community Health and Rehabilitation Center;
  • Glencove Health and Rehabilitation Center;
  • Lisenby on Lake Caroline;
  • Panama City Health and Rehabilitation Center; and
  • Sea Breeze Health Care.
• Power has been restored and re-entry has been completed for assisted living facility, Superior Residences of Panama City.
• Facilities report their evacuation status to the Agency through the Emergency Status System. An updated evacuation report can be found on the AHCA twitter page: https://twitter.com/AHCA_FL
• Two Disaster Medical Assistance Teams are supporting two area hospitals in Bay County.
• 94 ambulances have been deployed to Bay County.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

• An online tool for the public to report the location of storm debris in waterways has been deployed. 443 reports of debris have been received.
• DEP has completed three requests for assistance and has eight additional requests in progress submitted through Florida’s Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network (FlaWARN) in Bay County.
• Hazardous Area Response Teams (HART) have completed assessments at all high priority hazardous waste facilities in Bay County.
• 235 Disaster Debris Management Sites have been pre-authorized for the counties addressed by the Governor’s Executive Order, with 10 in Bay County.
• DEP has deployed wastewater, drinking water and solid waste technical experts to Bay County to ensure their needs are met.
• In collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a mobile sampling lab has been deployed to Bay County to fulfill water sampling needs.

BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY    

• The Florida SBDC Network and the U.S. Small Business Administration have opened a Business Recovery Center to assist small businesses impacted by Hurricane Michael. Small businesses can get assistance applying for state and federal business disaster loans. The Business Recovery Center is open Monday – Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., at  CareerSource, Bay County City Job Center in Panama City.
• DEO Executive Director Cissy Proctor met with area businesses and CareerSource in Bay County this week.
• The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association provided clean linens to a shelter in Panama City.
• Governor Rick Scott announced that Florida has been awarded federal National Dislocated Worker Grants to provide temporary employment to Floridians affected by Hurricane Michael. This program is administered by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) and provides disaster relief employment in the form of temporary jobs that support storm response and recovery efforts. See the Governor’s press release HERE.
• The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) has launched the Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program to provide short-term, interest-free loans to affects businesses at www.floridadisasterloan.org.
• The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity is working with CareerSource North Florida and CareerSource Northeast Florida to send mobile units, along with staff and resources, including water, gas, generators, flashlights and satellite phones to allow CareerSource partners in the Panhandle to begin assisting jobseekers and businesses as a part of the recovery efforts.
• Disaster cleanup and other related job openings are now available at http://disasterrecovery.employflorida.com for businesses to post job openings and for individuals to find job opportunities.
• DEO has opened the Business Damage Assessment Survey for businesses impacted by Hurricane Michael. Businesses with damage should complete the survey at https://www.floridadisaster.biz/BusinessDamageAssessments.
• Businesses can also visit FloridaDisaster.biz to view tips for assessing storm damage and to register to receive updates on storm recovery.

EDUCATION

• The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) is in contact with school districts, state colleges and universities for updates and to determine their needs and provide assistance.
• The Department is supporting Bay County’s shelter operations at the K-12 public schools serving as shelters.
• The Department is coordinating with Gulf Power and Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative to prioritize schools and college campuses for power restoration.
• Bay County schools will be closed until further notice.
• Gulf Coast State College, which is based in Panama City, will be closed until further notice. Florida College System Chancellor Madeline Pumariega is visiting the college today to meet with college leaders and the Board of Trustees to receive a damage update and offer support.
• Florida State University’s Panama City Campus will be closed until further notice.
• The Division of Blind Services and Division of Vocational Rehabilitation office in Bay County is closed until further notice, and clients are being directed to open locations for services.
• FDOE will be posting up-to-date information regarding closures and meeting cancellations at www.fldoe.org/hurricaneinfo.

VOLUNTEER EFFORTS

• Today, Governor Scott announced, in partnership with FEMA and the US Army Corps of Engineers, the launch of Operation Blue Roof, which temporarily repairs roofs at no cost to families. Operation Blue Roof is available in Bay County.
• Later today, Volunteer Florida’s ESF-15 representative from New Mexico will deploy to the Emergency Operations Center in Bay County, where Volunteer Florida’s ESF-15 representative from Ohio is already stationed. The representatives will mobilize registered volunteers and coordinate incoming donations, while serving as liaisons between Volunteer Florida and Bay County.
• Volunteer Florida’s partners with Florida Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD) are assisting with sheltering, feeding and tarping in Bay County. These partners include Red Cross Shelters, the Salvation Army and Team Rubicon.
• More than 20,000 tarps were delivered to Bay County yesterday.
• At Governor Scott’s direction, Volunteer Florida has activated the Florida Disaster Fund, the State of Florida’s official private fund established to assist Florida’s communities as they respond to and recover during times of emergency or disaster. In partnership with the public sector, private sector and other non-governmental organizations, the Florida Disaster Fund supports response and recovery activities. To donate, visit, www.volunteerflorida.org/donatefdf/.

STATE EMERGENCY OPERATION CENTER/ CONTACTS

• The State Emergency Operations Center remains activated at a level one, which is a full-scale, 24-hours-a-day activation.
• The State Assistance Information Line (SAIL) contact number is 1-800-342-3557.
• The State Emergency Operations Center Media Line: 850-921-0217.
• Follow @FLSert or @FLGovScott on Twitter for live updates on Hurricane Michael.
• Visit http://www.floridadisaster.org/info to find information on shelters, road closures, and evacuation routes.