9/15/2017

Gov. Scott Issues Updates on Continued Hurricane Irma Response Efforts

NAPLES, Fla. – Today, Governor Rick Scott and several state agency heads met with local officials in the Florida Keys to discuss recovery efforts after Hurricane Irma. The Governor will continue to be in constant communication with state and local emergency management officials, city and county leaders, law enforcement and National Guard leaders, and utility officials as Hurricane Irma response continues.

EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUNCTIONS BY STATE EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM

WATCHES AND WARNINGS

• Flood warnings are in effect across the state. To see      the most current advisories in your county, click HERE.

POWER AND UTILITIES

• The current power outage as of 6:00 p.m. is more than      1.4 million accounts. For a full breakdown, click HERE.      Since the height of power outages, 6.7 million on Monday, power has been      restored to more than 5.2 million accounts, which is how utility companies      measure each Florida home or business. More than 78 percent of all outages      have been restored by more than 30,000 restoration personnel across      Florida – the largest power restoration undertaking in history for a      single state.
• Do not try to handle downed power lines. Contact your      local utility company to report it.

Tampa Electric

• In total, 425,000 of Tampa Electric’s 730,000 customers      were impacted by the storm. Power has already been restored to more      than 381,000 customers.
• Tampa Electric expects to restore power to essentially      all customers the night of Sunday, Sept. 17.

Florida Power and Light

• In total, 4.4 million customers were impacted by the      storm. Power has already been restored to more than 3.4 million      customers.
• FPL expects power restoration to be completed for the      East Coast the night of Sunday, Sept. 17.
• FPL expects power restoration to be completed for the      West Coast by Friday, Sept. 22.

Duke Energy

• More than 1.3 million customers were impacted by the      storm. Power has already been restored to more than 1.1 million      customers.
• Duke Energy expects power restoration to be completed      for western service areas the night of Friday, Sept. 15.
• Duke Energy expects power restoration to be completed      for central and northern service areas the night of Sunday, Sept. 17.

Gulf Power

• Gulf Power has fully restored power to the 13,000      customers affected by the storm and has no storm related outages.

Florida Electric Cooperatives Assoc.

• More than 760,000 customers were impacted by the      storm. Power has already been restored to more than 662,000      customers.

Municipal Utilities

• More than 800,000 customers were impacted by the      storm. Power has already been restored to more than 689,000      customers.
• Restoration is expected to be completed by the night of      Sunday, Sept. 17, except hardest hit areas, such as Key West, which will      take longer to restore.

FUEL

• Port Everglades, Port Canaveral, Port of Jacksonville,      and Port of Tampa are actively accepting fuel. The Florida Highway Patrol      has troopers dedicated to escorting fuel resupply trucks to communities in      need.
• This week, the Governor took the following actions to      expedite fuel delivery to gas stations:
• Directed the Florida Highway Patrol to escort fuel      resupply trucks to gas stations;
• Scott and executive office staff have held daily calls      with all fuel supply stakeholders, including Florida Ports;
• Following the Governor’s request, the Environmental      Protection Agency (EPA) has approved an emergency fuel waiver which allows      more fuel to quickly enter the state. For more information, please      click HERE.
• Requested 11 states to join Florida in waiving weight      and driver restrictions to move goods more quickly into the state,      including fuel.

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• More than 200 FWC officers statewide are deployed in      areas with more than 500 law enforcement vessels including trucks, coastal      and river patrol boats, ATVs and shallow draft boats.
• FWC has 155 officers, including Special Operations      Group (SOG) and 28 officers from Arkansas Game and Fish Commission in      Monroe County, and 34 vessels. These officers are working with      National Guard Members and an Urban Search and Rescue team to continue      rescue operations in the Keys.
• As a result of the Governor’s Executive Order the      Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) is waiving      certain driver license and motor vehicle service fees for individuals      impacted by Hurricane Irma.

• The entire Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), approximately      1,700 troopers, is on 12-hour shifts, with the primary mission to assist      emergency response.
• FHP Auxiliary members continue to volunteer their time      and more than 40 FHP Auxiliary Officers have volunteered at least 1,400      hours and assisted 446 motorists.
• The Florida Highway Patrol has more than 70 troopers      who have conducted numerous missions to escort fuel resupply trucks from      Port of Jacksonville, Port of Tampa, Port Everglades and Port Canaveral to      communities in need.
• FHP has 50 troopers across the state continuing to      conduct numerous security escorts for utility companies and companies with      commodities so they can get damaged areas more expediently and provided      traffic control for a utility company running power lines across the FL      Turnpike in Dade County.
• FHP is providing multiple escorts to the Keys ensure the      quick delivery of relief supplies, such as food to local supermarkets,      portable toilets, water and resources with the Red Cross.
• 50 troopers have been deployed to assist the Collier      County Sheriff and 20 troopers were deployed to assist St. Johns County      law enforcement.
• FHP has troopers in Hardee County for traffic      control/road closure support, troopers in Orlando to assist with emergency      vehicle traffic, troopers in Duval County assisting with traffic      control/road closures due to flooding, troopers in Monroe County to assist      with traffic, and continues to receive numerous other urgent emergency      escorts to damaged areas in south Florida.
• US 27 and US 41 near the Santa Fe River are closed due      to flooding. FHP has troopers on post at various locations for traffic      detour and safety.
• DHSMV Florida Licensing on Wheels (FLOW)Mobiles has      been mobilized for impacted Florida residents in Lee and Collier counties      to provide credentialing services to impacted customers.
• FDLE is coordinating hundreds of law enforcement      missions through the state EOC including patrol and escort missions,      shelter security and helping staff in the local EOCs in the impacted      areas.

 MILITARY SUPPORT

• There are more than 7,000 soldiers and airmen on the      ground, as a combined force of members of the Florida National Guard,      partner National Guard states and active duty components, that have      conducted hundreds of missions across the state.
• In addition to Florida National Guard personnel and      assets, more than 2,200 Guardsmen from 12 states (Georgia, Wisconsin, New      Jersey, Indiana, Nebraska, Kentucky, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Minnesota,      Iowa, Mississippi and South Carolina) are currently assisting with      Hurricane Irma response operations. If need arises, the Guard stands ready      to bring in more than 20,000 additional personnel through the Emergency      Management Assistance Compact (EMAC).
• More than 220 Soldiers and Airmen from the Florida      National Guard are now supporting missions at 30 shelters across the state.
• 240 Florida Guardsmen are actively operating at 12      Points of Distribution (PODs) throughout the state, including the State      Logistics Readiness Center (SLRC) in Orlando and various Logistics Staging      Areas (LSAs) to ensure supplies are being quickly provided to those who      need them.
• All Florida Army National Guard aviation assets are      staged in Opalocka, where they are conducting air bridge operations to      deliver life-saving supplies to the Florida Keys in coordination with the      USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Iwo Jima. The helicopters involved in the air      bridge have the capability to deliver 18 pallets per day or evacuate 300      people per day, as needed.

SHELTERS

• More than 65 shelters are open throughout Florida with      a total population of more than 5,000 individuals. More than 30 special      needs shelters are open with a total population of more than 1,800      individuals. This number is being updated throughout the day. Visit floridadisaster.org/shelters/summary.aspx to find information on shelters in your area.
• The Red Cross is preparing to open four shelters in the      Florida Keys following area surveys and consultation with local officials.      These shelters will provide humanitarian services in support of ongoing      recovery operations.
• To find information about available shelter information      by county, visit floridadisaster.org/shelters.      FEMA is also hosting shelter information on its mobile app which can be      found at fema.gov/mobile-app.
• The state is fully committed to ensuring adequate food      resources are available to residents impacted by Hurricane Irma, and are      prioritizing these resources based on areas where landfall occurred first      and based upon urgency of need. USDA Foods from the state inventory have      been deployed and the state is distributing ice for shelters, canteens,      kitchens, and military support operations.
• The state has received approval from USDA Food and      Nutrition Service to release foods sourced from The Emergency Assistance      Food Program and Commodity Supplemental Food Service foods to be used by      all counties per the Presidential Disaster Declaration. 

TRANSPORTATION & PUBLIC WORKS

• The Florida Department of Transportation has announced      that I-75 will remain open, as flood waters have been receding on the      Santa Fe River. As of today, FDOT engineers and state meteorologists do      not believe that the Santa Fe River will reach a level to make the interstate      unsafe.

• This unprecedented river flooding is also causing      closures and extensive rerouting of traffic nearby roadways. FDOT is      monitoring S.R. 47 and U.S. 121 and will reroute traffic if needed. See      the most recent closures below:

• US 27 BRIDGE CLOSURE: Northbound – US 27 traffic to      Lake City detour at NW 9th Street in High Springs. Southbound – US 27 to      Gainesville and Southbound US 27 traffic to Gainesville detour at SR 47 in      Fort White.
• US 41 BRIDGE CLOSURE: Northbound – US 41 traffic to      Lake City detour at Winn Dixie in High Springs. Southbound – US 41 traffic      to Gainesville detour at CR 778.
• SR 47 CLOSURE – Traffic is being diverted on the north      side at US 27 in Fort White and on the south side at CR 340.

• FDOT construction contractors have received notice to      resume work on projects beginning at the discretion of FDOT local offices.
• FDOT continues to coordinate with Google’s emergency      response team to “close” damaged roads in Google Maps in real time      following damage assessments. FDOT is also working closely with WAZE, the      Georgia Department of Transportation and other transportation industry      partners to communicate the potential reroutes to the public.
• Governor Scott announced that the Federal Highway      Administration (FHWA) has approved a $25 million Emergency Relief (ER)      Quick Release Grant to support response and recovery efforts for Florida’s      roadways and transportation system. This federal funding will be used to      conduct emergency repairs on impacted roads, embankments, bridges or other      infrastructure and help restore traffic on major roadways to ensure      Florida residents and visitors can travel safely.
• FDOT debris removal crews have cleared US 1 and has      completed bridge inspection on 26 off-system bridges in Monroe County.      FDOT is closely coordinating support of debris removal in off-system roads      in Monroe County. Crews are out now in Big Pine Key and working their      way into other locations as directed by the county. Local officials will      determine when it’s safe to reenter Monroe County.

• FDOT worked with ATT to install temporary towers so      those with ATT phones should have normal connectivity.

• The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT)      has completed damage assessments on major highways. Every interstate and      turnpike is open for Floridians, however, there is heavy traffic volume on      I-10 eastbound and I-75 southbound. Everyone should continue to listen to      local officials on when to return home.
• Bridge inspections and debris clearance are ongoing      throughout the state.
• FDOT is coordinating with other states to deploy      additional resources to impacted counties. A number of other states have      offered assistance. Maryland, Missouri and Delaware are currently      deploying crews to Florida. FDOT continues to coordinate with other      states.
• Around the state, FDOT has 13 traffic management      centers where hundreds of DOT workers are monitoring traffic cameras 24/7.
• Governor Scott directed the FDOT to suspend tolls      across the entire State of Florida in preparation for Hurricane Irma.      Tolls remain suspended and immediate recovery efforts continue.

RECOVERY BRANCH

• An aggressive recovery effort is ongoing, working with      FEMA to identify and activate federal grant programs that can benefit      Floridians and their communities.
• President Donald Trump’s Administration expanded Major      Disaster Declaration for Florida requested by Governor Scott to include      individual assistance for Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Brevard, Broward,      Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Duval, Flagler,      Gilchrist, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough,      Indian River, Lake, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade,      Monroe, Nassau, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Palm Beach, Pinellas,      Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, Suwannee,      Union, and Volusia counties. Sunday, just hours after Governor Scott’s      request, President Trump approved a Major Disaster Declaration for Florida      authorizing federal funding to flow directly to Floridians impacted by Hurricane      Irma and reimburse local communities and the state government to aid in      response and recovery.
• Emergency Protective Measures (Category A and Category      B) funded through the Federal Public Assistance Program is available for      all 67 counties.
• The Department of Management Services has helped      repair, secure or assess more than 30 back-up communications systems,      deployed more than 680 communications assets and resources and has      processed more than 2,250 network trouble tickets and requests in support of      city and county recovery efforts. The department is coordinating with      telecommunications companies and working with vendors to repair network      equipment and systems statewide.

DISASTER ASSISTANCE

• The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is      encouraging individuals and families to be alert for false rumors, scams,      identity theft, and fraud. For resources on how to protect yourself and      your loves ones from disaster fraud, visit https://www.fema.gov/hurricane-irma-rumor-control.
• Residents who sustained losses in the declared counties      can apply for assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov.      Residents who suffered damages from the storm may register now, and if      their county is later included in the declaration, the application will be      processed automatically.
• Governor Scott will continue to work with President      Trump and FEMA to approve more funding to additional communities affected      by the storm.
• Residents are also encouraged to download the FEMA App      to begin the registration process. Simply click on Disaster      Resources.
• If you do not have access to the internet, you may      register by calling 1-800-621-3362 (FEMA) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY); if you      use 711 Relay or Video Relay Service call 1-800-621-3362.
• The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7:00      a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice.

PUBLIC HEALTH AND MEDICAL

• The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration and      the Florida Department of Health is conducting frequent and vigorous      outreach to facilities every day, which includes daily calls with      hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities. In-person      wellness checks are being conducted for facilities when contact cannot be      made or any facility that reports distress. See full release HERE.
• Assisted Living Facilities: 145 are utilizing generators, 2,373 have power, 187      have reported as being closed, 176 have reported post-storm evacuations;
• Nursing Homes: 30      are utilizing generators, 645 have power, 8 have reported being closed, 40      have reported post-storm evacuations
• Hospitals: 2      are utilizing generators, 304 have power, 8 have reported being closed, 8      have reported post-storm evacuations
• See the Governor’s statement regarding the tragedy in      Broward HERE.
• The state is holding daily calls with assisted living      facilities and nursing homes to ensure they have everything they need to      serve those in their care. The state is aggressively working to restore      power to these facilities.
• Up-to-date information on boil water notices is      available online HERE.
• Disaster Medical Assistance Teams have been deployed to      provide healthcare services to communities in need.
• Department of Health (DOH) Environmental Health staff      are conducting assessments throughout the state and epidemiology staff are      monitoring emergency department surveillance to identity carbon monoxide      poisonings relating to generator use.
• DOH staff continues to provide staffing for special      needs shelters and deploy other assets to aid in county recovery efforts.      Ambulance strike teams have also been deployed to aid with movements.
• OneBlood is urging all those who are able to visit a      local blood center and donate blood to do so. They have an urgent need for      platelets and O negative blood.
• The Agency for Persons with Disabilities’ regional      offices are communicating with providers, waiver support coordinators, and      APD customers to ensure they are safe and the status of their homes.
• The Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs (FDVA)      operates six skilled nursing facilities and one assisted living facility.      All state veterans’ homes are currently operational and now on main      utility power.
• The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) operates a      number of Florida-based medical centers, outpatient clinics and Vet      Centers in the storm path. For specific information on all VA closures in      Florida, please click HERE      or visit http://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/hurricane-irma/
• The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF)      is working with federal officials as emergency assessments are completed      for Disaster SNAP (also known as Food for Florida). DCF proactively      submitted an initial request to the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service      (FNS) to activate Disaster SNAP in counties approved for FEMA for      Individual Assistance. While Disaster SNAP is not currently active in      Florida, DCF is communicating with the federal government to activate this      program in eligible counties as soon as possible.
• DCF requested and FNS granted a mass replacement for 40      percent of SNAP benefits to customers approved as of September 10 in 52      counties. For more information, visit the ACCESS Florida webpage.

VOLUNTEER EFFORTS

• Volunteer Florida and the Department of Management      Services are seeking state employee volunteers to transport food to      affected areas in Southwest and Northeast Florida beginning Friday, Sept.      15. DMS is also working with rental car companies to secure cargo vans and      box trucks for this effort and both agencies are coordinating with the      American Red Cross to deliver supplies to shelters and staging areas. For      more information, visit www.dms.myflorida.com and click “Hurricane Irma: Volunteer to Help.”
• Governor Rick Scott activated the Florida Disaster Fund to      support individuals who are impacted by Tropical Storm Irma. The      Florida Disaster Fund helps provide financial support to Florida’s      communities in times of disaster. To make a contribution, please      visit www.FloridaDisasterFund.org or text DISASTER to 20222 to make a one-time      donation of $10. Volunteer Florida has also engaged with Facebook to      activate a donation portal online.
• In response to Hurricane Irma, Lyft is donating      $100,000 to a “Relief Rides” program helping those in need get to/from      hospitals and shelters after the hurricane, as well as partnering with      Team Rubicon to help their volunteers. Call (754) 900-5949      to request a ride. If you are associated with a hospital, shelter, or      local government, please email florida@lyft.com so      that Lyft can get you access to a pre-funded account to help those in      need. Click here for      information on how partners can use Lyft’s Concierge Service to request      rides for those in need and who may not have access to a smartphone.
• Uber is donating $400,000 of rides, food and relief to      families and communities affected as well as first responders. Uber is      helping provide free rides across the state to Floridians in need. Call      the toll-free number 844-800-9425 to request a ride. Local governments,      nonprofits, and organizations with an immediate need can visit IrmaRelief@uber.com.
• Volunteer Florida is working with Johnson & Johnson,      which is donating baby supplies and personal hygiene items to victims,      Americares, which is donating pharmaceutical supplies to special needs      shelters, Poland Water, which is donating 100 box cars of bottled water,      American Logistics Network to stand up a multiple agency warehouse, and      multiple volunteer partners.
• A Red Cross advance team is in the Florida Keys      evaluating and assessing the most expeditious manner to provide services      and emergency supplies there.
• The American Red Cross has accepted 1,000 meals offered      through Volunteer Florida from Boar’s Head Provisions. Local arrangements      are being made to deliver these meals to areas of need in Duval County.
• Volunteer Florida’s Community Emergency Response (CERT)      Teams are assisting special needs residents with transportation, managing      shelters, feeding first responders and local EOC staff, assisting citizens      with reports of unmet needs, staffing county staging areas, and staffing      call centers in Taylor County, Nassau County, Pasco County, Seminole      County, Collier County, Broward County, Charlotte County Franklin County,      Escambia County, and Lee County.
• Volunteer Florida’s AmeriCorps teams, including      Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County, Teach for America Jacksonville,      Big Brothers Big Sisters of St. Lucie County, Northwest Florida State      College, Heart of Florida United Way, Metropolitan Ministries, Florida      State Parks, City Year Jacksonville, the Arc Jacksonville, Polk Education      Foundation and the City of Orlando are continuing to provide disaster      response services to Floridians in need. AmeriCorps members have served in      special needs shelters, answered local citizen information lines,      supported crisis hotlines, worked to clean up schools, and provided clean      up at activities in 24 Florida state parks. These services are anticipated      to support over 2,600 individuals.
• Today American Red Cross and the Southern Baptists will      begin serving hot meals under their national agreement to provide food to      disaster survivors. Under this agreement, the Southern Baptists mobilize      their cooking teams with high capacity mobile kitchens and the Red Cross      provides the bulk commodities for meal preparation and the trucks      necessary to deliver these meals to the community. Seven such kitchens      will be operational today in areas in most need of feeding support.      Initially each kitchen will prepare between 1000 – 5000 meals per day but      capacity can be increased as the demand requires. The Salvation Army is      also working in several areas, including Key West. They are feeding at      3,000-4,000 meals and will ramp up to 10,000 meals.
• Today Volunteer Florida released a PSA      featuring Sofia Vergara for the Florida Disaster Fund.

SCHOOL CLOSURES

• Please visit www.fldoe.org/irma/ to      view all school closures.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

• 53 Florida State Parks have reopened for day-use only,      114 parks remain closed to ensure visitor safety. Park service staff have      formed teams to respond to impacted parks and re-open them as quickly as      possible. A full list of closures can be found at https://floridastateparks.org/content/storm-information.
• DEP staff requested an Emergency Management Assistance      Compact (EMAC) for 10 crews to assist the 117-mile main line repairs need      from Key Largo to Key West. Currently, Tennessee and South Carolina are      working to deploy teams tomorrow morning, to be escorted by law      enforcement once in Florida. To supplement work until the teams arrive,      Miami-Dade water and sewer department is assembling two teams to start      work, and they will continue assisting in wastewater capacity once the      EMAC teams arrive.
• At Governor Scott’s request, EPA will make it      easier for Duke Energy Florida to use available fuel resources for      vehicles and equipment responding to power outages in Florida as a result      of Hurricane Irma to allow recovery efforts to continue as quickly as possible.
• DEP is coordinating with our contractors to complete      post-storm inspections of the active state-led cleanup sites. 15      post-storm site inspections were completed yesterday, another 19 are      expected to be completed today.
• DEP is mobilizing Beach Response Teams and      participating with assistance of USACE in efforts to expedite recovery of      Florida beaches. DEP staff have completed initial inspections to document      damage to structures and the beach-dune system in Nassau, Duval, Brevard,      Martin, Pinellas, Manatee, Indian River, St. Lucie, Palm Beach, Broward,      Franklin and Gulf counties. They will continue surveys in St. John,      Flagler, Volusia, Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties.  DEP’s Beaches      Program staff began conducting more detailed engineering surveys and damage      assessments today in Collier, Sarasota and Charlotte counties.
• DEP continues to coordinate with US Army Corps of      Engineers, FDOT, US Coast Guard, FWC, and FEMA on debris removal      statewide. DEP contractors are mobilizing to county-identified debris sites.      Debris can be reported here.
• DEP has mobilized 12 Hazardous Assessment and Response      Teams in coordination with the EPA and the U.S. Coast Guard to assess      hazardous waste facilities and respond to pollution incidents and other      storm impacts. The 40 members of these teams have deployed to Duval and      Hillsborough counties tomorrow to begin assessments, and are identifying      additional sites north of Lake Okeechobee for assessment. 207      assessments have been completed.
• Dune and beach fortification activities in St. Johns,      Volusia and Flagler counties that had begun in the week prior to Hurricane      Irma have resumed. To date, more than 27,000 cubic yards of sand have been      placed in these areas.
• Technical specialists from EPA’s water division have      deployed to Florida to assist DEP staff with wastewater and drinking water      system recovery.
• DEP has established a mutual aid system to coordinate      responses between utilities, the department, and other responders. This      system is active and continues to coordinate and respond to the needs of      drinking and waste water facilities throughout Florida. This includes      ensuring generators for lift stations, wastewater plants and other vital      infrastructure operations, providing pumps for flood control measures and      deploying crews to assist with drinking and wastewater facility repairs.
• DEP has issued an emergency order to ensure recovery      efforts are not hampered or delayed. DEP has expanded that order for power      plants to cover the entire state to assist any facility recovering from      the storm and a new order to waive certain rules for fuel facilities      impacted by the storm statewide. Both orders apply only to impacted      facilities and have provisions to guard the environment while assisting in      quick recovery of critical infrastructure.
• DEP is working with FWC, EPA, and the U.S. Coast Guard      to mitigate pollutants from submerged vessels.

WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS

• The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD):      Water control structures in the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes area remain open      and water managers have increased flows at the S-65 structure from Lake      Kissimmee south into the Kissimmee River to help further lower water      levels in the Chain of Lakes.

• SFWMD will install two additional 42-inch temporary      pumps to help lower water levels in Lake Rosalie in Polk County.
• To help lower water levels in the Big Cypress Basin,      SFWMD is installing two 42-inch temporary pumps in Collier County, and      deploying additional temporary pumps.
• SFWMD debris removal contractors are making progress      removing debris from canals and rights of way in Miami-Dade, Broward and      Collier counties that could slow the flow of water.
• SFWMD continues pumping into the Ten Mile Creek Water      Preserve Area in northern St. Lucie County to help lower water levels in      the creek.
• All SFWMD diesel pumps South Dade Conveyance System in      the system are pumping, and gated structures remain fully open to help      reduce water levels.
• Pumps along the southern rim of Lake Okeechobee      continue pumping water into the lake to address flooding, which has      affected families and businesses in Glades communities.
• SFWMD continues to assist Orlando International Airport      with operations to lower its water levels.
• The Southwest Florida Water Management District      (SWFWMD) continues to operate water control structures. All structures      without power are being monitored and are discharging as needed. These      structures can be manually operated if needed.
• SWFWMD continues to operate the Lower Hillsborough      River Flood Detention Area, diverting all flows from the Hillsborough      River to the Tampa Bypass Canal. In cooperation with the City of Tampa and      Hillsborough County, the District has started to discharge out of the      Detention Area to the Hillsborough River while closely monitoring river      stage. This effort is intended to reduce impacts to Morris Bridge Road.

• The St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD)      continues to manage flood control structures at the Ocklawaha Basin to      protect private residences. This includes closure of the Apopka Dam.

• SJRWMD continues to manage the Upper St Johns River      Basin to help mitigate flooding. At this time, all possible efforts have      been taken to reduce discharges to the St Johns River; including      maximizing flows through the C-54 to the Indian River Lagoon. Levee      inspections within the SJRWMD are 50 percent complete at this time.

BUSINESS, INDUSTRY, & ECONOMIC STABILIZATION

• The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity      (DEO) has launched the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan      Program to support businesses impacted by Hurricane Irma to provide      short-term, interest-free loans to small businesses that experienced      physical or economic damage during the storm. To complete an application      by the Oct. 31, 2017, deadline, visit www.floridadisasterloan.org.      For more information contact the Florida Small Business Development Center      Network at 850-898-3489 or emailDisaster@FloridaSBDC.org.
• DEO has launched the Disaster Unemployment Assistance      (DUA) Program to provide assistance to businesses and residents whose      employment or self-employment was lost or interrupted as a result of      Hurricane Irma. To file for DUA or for more information go to www.FloridaJobs.org or      call 1-800-385-3920.
• The Florida Virtual Business Emergency Operations      Center business damage assessment surveying tool has been activated for      businesses to report damages resulting from Hurricane Irma. Businesses are      encouraged to visit http://flvbeoc.org/index.php. Click on Hurricane Irma.
• A private sector hotline is available at (850) 410-1403      to respond to calls from businesses and private sector support      organizations.
• The state is working to identify the “open/close”      status of businesses. This information is being posted to the SERT      Tropical Storm Irma web page: http://www.floridadisaster.org/info/ .
• The Florida Retail Federation is assisting in      coordinating information to Florida Retailers regarding restocking of      emergency supplies, readying mobile pharmacies, and the transportation of      fuel.
• The Florida Small Business Development Center Network      is working with federal officials to identify additional staffing and      financial resources to support business response activities.
• The Florida Chamber of Commerce is coordinating with      their members and local chambers to determine post-storm recovery needs      and identifying resources available to be sent to the affected areas.
• Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association is      encouraging lodging operators’ enrollment in the FEMA Transitional Shelter      Assistance Program for displaced persons. All lodging operators are      encouraged to sign-up at http://ela.corplodging.com.​
• DEO has received approval by the United States Department      of Labor to implement the Disaster Dislocated Worker Program to assist      with cleanup and in providing humanitarian assistance. ​

INSURANCE

• At the direction of Governor Scott, Insurance      Commissioner Altmaier issued an Emergency Order suspending and activating      certain insurance rules and statutes for the health, safety, and welfare      of Florida’s policyholders. Among other provisions, the Order provides an      additional 90 days to policyholders to supply information to their      insurance company; prohibits insurance companies from canceling or      non-renewing policies covering residential properties damaged by the      hurricane for at least 90 days; and freezes any and all efforts to      increase rates on policyholders for 90 days. The Order can be found HERE.
• Floridians affected by the storm must now begin the      process of surveying damages to their property and belongings. If you need      help finding your Florida’s property insurance company’s website and      contact information, click HERE.      For a list of licensed insurance agents in Florida, click HERE.
• Consumers with questions about their policies and those      who need help filing a claim should call the CFO’s free Insurance Consumer      Helpline at 1-877-693-5236.
• It is important to document all damaged property and      belongings. A free smartphone app developed by the National Association of      Insurance Commissioners called “MyHome Scr.APP.book” is available to assist      with photo documentation.
• Citizens Property Insurance Corporation has opened      three Catastrophe Response Centers have across Southern Florida. At these      centers, policy holders can file claims, confirm coverage and receive      advance payments for additional living expenses when appropriate. For more      information, click HERE.
• OIR has updated its “Hurricane Season Resources” webpage, which contains links to information provided      by the Governor, Chief Financial Officer, Attorney General, Commissioner      of Agriculture, Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Flood      Insurance Program, and contact information for Florida’s property      insurers.