9/10/2017

Gov. Scott Issues Updates on Hurricane Irma Preparedness and Response Efforts as Storm Impacts Florida

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Governor Rick Scott received a full update from the State Emergency Operations Center as Hurricane Irma impacts Florida. A majority of the state remains under a hurricane warning. The Governor will continue to be in constant communication with state and local emergency management officials, city and county leaders, law enforcement and utility officials throughout the storm’s impact. For more information on preparedness actions, click HERE. Click HERE to see the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUNCTIONS BY STATE EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM

WATCHES AND WARNING –

• Storm Surge Warning:
• The Florida/Georgia line southward to Jupiter Inlet
• North Miami Beach southward around the Florida       peninsula to the Ochlockonee River
• Florida Keys
• Tampa Bay

• Hurricane Warning:
• Fernandina Beach southward around the Florida       peninsula to Indian Pass at the Gulf/Franklin County line.
• Florida Keys
• Lake Okeechobee
• Florida Bay

• Tropical Storm Warning:
• West of Indian Pass to the Okaloosa/Walton County Line
• North of Fernandina Beach to South Santee River

EVACUATIONS

• IF THERE ARE ALREADY STORM IMPACTS IN YOUR AREA, DO NOT      GET ON THE ROAD. SHELTER IN PLACE.
• Please visit www.FloridaDisaster.org/info      to see what evacuation orders are in place in your county.
• DEM estimates that 6.5 million Floridians have been      ordered to evacuate.

SHELTERS

• More than 530 shelters are open throughout Florida with      a total population of more than 116,000 individuals. More than 75 special      needs shelters are open with a total population of more than 12,700      individuals. This number is being updated throughout the day. Visit floridadisaster.org/shelters/summary.aspx to find information on shelters in your area.
• Shelters are continuing to open across the state,      including shelters for people with special needs, pets and general      populations. To find information about available shelter information by      county, floridadisaster.org/shelters.
• FEMA is also hosting shelter information on its mobile      app which can be found at fema.gov/mobile-app.

 

POWER AND UTILITIES

• The current power outage as of 12:00 p.m. is1,528,282      accounts. For a full breakdown, click HERE.

• Restoration personnel have been activated to help      restore power as quickly as possible following the storm’s impact.
        

MILITARY SUPPORT

• Governor Scott has activated the entire force of the      Florida Army and Air National Guard – 7,000 guard members – to support      with planning, and logistics operations in preparation for potential      impacts from Hurricane Irma. These members are stationing across the state      and actively assisting with preparation efforts and supporting more than      200 shelters. The Florida National Guard has 1,000 high water vehicles, 13      helicopters, 17 boats and more than 700 generators on standby.

• More than 700 more guardsmen are preparing to set up      food and water distribution sites as soon as the storm passes and we are      working alongside FWC to prepare for search and rescue mission as soon as      it is safe.
• The Florida National Guard is coordinating a      multi-state response focused on planning and preparing thousands of forces      to enhance security and support humanitarian assistance and disaster      relief. States that have deployed troops or are positioning support      include North Carolina, Ohio, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois,      Connecticut, Mississippi, New Jersey, Alabama, Michigan, Massachusetts,      Maryland and Iowa.
• The Florida National Guard is coordinating with the      National Guard Bureau to identify approximately 30,000 troops, 4,000      trucks, 100 helicopters, and air evacuation crews that are standing by for      Hurricane Irma support, if needed. 10,000 of those troops are in the      process of joining Florida Guard members for deployment after the storm.

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• More than 200 FWC officers statewide, including partner      agencies, will be standing by in areas expected to be safe with resources      such as trucks, coastal and river patrol boats, ATVs and shallow draft      boats to respond to critical areas based on the storm’s path. FWC Special      Operations Group (SOG) officers, National Guard members and an Urban      Search and Rescue Team are staged for reconnaissance once the storm passes      that area.

• FWC has more than 500 law enforcement vessels standing      ready and is prepared to sustain these resources as long as necessary.
• FWC is swearing in more than 200 officers that are      being deployed from Mississippi, South Carolina, Arkansas and      Texas. By the end of today, FWC will have 50 additional officers from      Louisiana, 28 officers from Arkansas, and 26 from Mississippi.
• The entire Florida Highway Patrol, approximately 1,700      troopers, is on 12-hour shifts, with the primary mission to assist      emergency response. In addition, a total of 330 troopers are on standby to      assist with recovery and road clearance efforts after the storm passes.
• Florida Incident Management Teams (IMT) are mobilizing      to provide overall statewide command and control for all Urban Search      & Rescue (US&R) and lifesaving operations.
• FEMA Urban Search & Rescue (US&R) teams are      staged for rapid deployment behind Hurricane Irma, including additional      teams standing by in Georgia.

TRANSPORTATION & PUBLIC WORKS

• Sustained winds over 40 miles per hour will prompt the      Florida Highway Patrol to close bridges. The state Emergency Operations      Center is receiving regular wind status updates from the Florida      Department of Transportation (FDOT) and closely monitoring the wind speeds      across bridges. The following major bridges are currently closed:
• Sunshine Skyway Bridge
• Airport Updates:

• The following airports are closed:
• Airport Manatee (48X)
• Albert Whitted Airport (SPG)
• Boca Raton Airport (BCT)
• Downtown Fort Lauderdale Heliport (DT1)
• Everglades Airpark (X01)
• Fernandina Beach Municipal (FHB)
• Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International (KFLL)
• Immokalee Regional Airport (IMM)
• Key West International Airport (KEYW)
• Keys/Marathon International (MTH)
• Kissimmee Gateway Airport (ISM)
• Leesburg International Airport (LEE)
• Marco Island Airport (MKY)
• Miami Seaplane Base (MPB)
• Naples Municipal Airport (APF)
• North Perry Airport (HWO)
• Northeast Florida Regional (SGJ)
• Ocala International-Jim Taylor Field (OCF)
• Okeechobee County Airport (OBE)
• Orlando–Sanford International (KSFB)
• Ormond Beach Municipal (OMN)
• Peter O Knight Airport (TPF)
• Plant City Airport (PCM)
• Pompano Beach Airpark (PMP)
• Saint George Island Airport (F47)
• Sarasota–Bradenton International (KSRQ)
• St Pete-Clearwater International (PIE)
• Tallahassee Commercial Airport (68J)
• Tampa Executive Airport (VDF)
• Tavares Seaplane Base (FA1)
• Williston Municipal Airport (X60)

 

• The following airports have terminated Commercial      Service:
• Daytona Beach International (KDAB)
• Melbourne International Airport (MLB)
• Palm Beach International (KPBI)
• Punta Gorda Airport (PGD)
• Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW)
•  
• The following airports are conducting       emergency operations only:
• Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport (TNT)
• Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE)
• Miami Executive Airport (TMB)
• Miami Homestead General Aviation (X51)
• Miami International (KMIA)
• Opa-Locka Executive Airport (OPF)
• Orlando International (KMCO)
• Tampa International (KTPA)
• Venice Municipal Airport (VNC)
• Vero Beach Municipal Airport (VRB)
• Winter Haven’s Gilbert Airport (GIF)
• Port Updates:
• Key West: Port closed
• Miami: Port closed
• Port Everglades: Port closed
• Palm Beach: Port Closed
• Manatee: Port closed
• St. Petersburg: Port closed
• Canaveral: Port closed
• Ft Pierce: Port Closed
• Jacksonville: Port closed
• Fernandina: Port closed
• Tampa: Port closed
• Panama City: Port Closed
• Pensacola: Open with restrictions

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

• Free Xfinity WiFi hotspots are      available throughout the state for individuals in      need, including non-Xfinity customers, to help residents      and emergency personnel stay connected. For a map of Xfinity WiFi      hotspots, which are located both indoors and outdoors in places such as      shopping districts, parks and businesses, please visit Xfinity.com/wifi.
• Charter Communications opened all of their Spectrum      WiFi hotspots across Florida to help those affected by Hurricane Irma get      connected.
• Telecommunications Partners are monitoring fuel levels      for generators and back-up power supply for cell towers, mobile switching      centers and central offices.
• The state is working with city, county and state      entities to re-route phone lines. At this point, there are no out of      ordinary reports of any major outages.

STATE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER/ CONTACT INFORMATION

• The State Emergency Operations Center remains activated      at a level one, which is a full-scale, 24-hours-a-day activation.
• The Florida Emergency Information Line has been      activated and is available 24/7 for families and victors at      1-800-342-3557.
• Floridians can text FLPREPARES to 888777 in order to      receive text alerts from FDEM.
• The media line is 850-921-0217.
• Follow @FLSert or @FLGovScott on Twitter for live      updates on Hurricane Irma.
• Visit http://www.floridadisaster.org to find information on shelters, road closures, and      evacuation routes.
• On Monday, Governor Scott issued Executive Order 17-235 declaring a state of emergency in all 67 counties      within the State of Florida.