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

Today, Governor Rick Scott is visiting the Bay County Emergency Operations Center in Southport and a Salvation Army mobile kitchen in Panama City Beach. Governor 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 emergency managers is in Mexico Beach and Bay County to support ongoing locally-led 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 10 points of distribution in Bay County.
  • 3604 15th St, Panama City
  • 1011 943 Co Rd 386, Mexico Beach
  • 1900 Michigan Ave, Panama City
  • 2101 FL-77, Lynn Haven
  • 1125 Cherry Street, Panama City
  • 640 S.Hwy 22A, Panama City
  • 13410 Hwy 77, Panama City
  • 924 Bay Ave, Panama City
  • 7124 FL-22, Panama City
  • 4800 Co Rd 2321, Panama City
• For a map of open grocery stores and pharmacies click HERE.
• There are 16 Salvation Army Kitchens/Canteens open in Bay County:
  • Intersection of Bayou George Hwy 2301 & 231, Panama City, FL 32404
  • Callaway Elementary School, 7115 FL-22, Panama City, FL 32404
  • Cedar Grove Elementary, 2825 15th St, Panama City, FL 32405
  • Cove Shopping Center 929 Cherry St, Panama City, FL 32401
  • Hickory Plaza 404 S Tyndall Pkwy, Panama City, FL 32404
  • Jinks Middle School 600 W 11th St, Panama City, FL 32401
  • MLK Rec Center 705 E 14th St, Panama City, FL 32401
  • 7100 US 98, Panama City Beach, FL 32407
  • Parker Fire Dept. 4534 E Business 98, Panama City Beach, FL 32407
  • Piggly Wiggly 8012 Hwy 2301, Panama City, FL 32404
  • 1824 W. 15th St, Panama City, FL 32401
  • Wal-Mart 725 N Tyndale Parkway, Callaway, FL 32404
  • Wal-Mart 2101 S Highway 77, Lynn Haven, FL 32444
  • Wal-Mart 513 W 23rd St, Panama City, FL 32405
  • Wal-Mart 10270 Front Beach Rd, Panama City Beach, FL 32407
  • Winn Dixie 1812 Lynn Haven Pkwy, Lynn Haven, FL 32444

FUEL

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

COMMUNICATIONS

• Currently, 66.09% percent of cellular service coverage has been restored in Bay County. 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 46,686 or 40% – a 58% improvement since Hurricane Michael made landfall.
• The state has provided 51 generators to Bay County.

SHELTERS

• Currently four 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
  • Surfside Middle School 300 Nautilus St, Panama City Beach, FL 32413
  • 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 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 1,062 National Guard troops deployed to Bay County. National Guard troops are assisting with conducting reconnaissance, search and rescue, and road clearance missions.
• The Florida National Guard has also deployed communications support packages to Bay County.

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• Currently, 714 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.
• The Florida Highway Patrol is providing security escorts to emergency response and route clearance teams.
• The Florida Highway Patrol provided security escorts to essential commodity convoys into Bay County.
• The Florida Highway Patrol is supplementing local law enforcement agency efforts with increased patrol of damaged areas.
• The Florida Highway Patrol is providing traffic control and security at points of deliveries (PODs) for essential commodities.
• DHSMV’s Florida Licensing on Wheels (FLOW) mobiles will continue to be in Bay County to offer driver license and motor vehicle services next week.

TRANSPORTATION & PUBLIC WORKS

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

SAFETY & SECURITY

• 200 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:
  • Emerald Coast Behavioral Hospital;
  • Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Panama City; 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.
• The following hospitals in-patient services remain closed, but their emergency departments are open:
  • Bay Medical Center & Sacred Heart Health System; and
  • Gulf Coast Regional Medical Center.
• 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
• For the comfort of impacted residents, the state has deployed additional showers, cooling stations, laundry stations and toilets to Bay County.
• There are currently six active boil water notices in Bay County. Click HERE for more information.
• Two Disaster Medical Assistance Teams are supporting two area hospitals in Bay County.
• 84 ambulances and 5 paratransit vehicles 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. 456 reports of debris have been received.
• DEP has completed three requests for assistance and has 13 additional requests in progress submitted through Florida’s Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network (FlaWARN) 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 reopen no later than the week of Nov. 12.
• Gulf Coast State College, which is based in Panama City, will be closed until further notice. Florida College System Chancellor Madeline Pumariega visited the college last week and met 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

• 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.
• Volunteer Florida’s ESF-15 representative from New Mexico has deployed to the Emergency Operations Center in Bay County. The representative is mobilizing registered volunteers and coordinating incoming donations, while serving as a liaison 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 the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, Team Rubicon, the United Way, Catholic Charities, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief and Goodwill.
• More than 20,000 tarps were delivered to Bay County.
• 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.