St. Lucie County Hurricane Irma Update Sunday, Sept. 10 at 8 a.m.

St. Lucie County Hurricane Irma Update Sunday, Sept. 10 at 8 a.m.

  1. LUCIE COUNTY – Hurricane Irma’s outer bands began impacting St. Lucie County early this morning with heavy rains and gusty winds with tops speeds of 44 mph along the coastline. Roads, particularly in the Fort Pierce area, are starting to flood. Residents are reminded to stay home and off the roads.

Power Outages

Florida, Power & Light is reporting 720 outages in St. Lucie County, while Fort Pierce Utilities Authority is reporting about 100 in the city as of 8 a.m. Sunday. FPL customers can track outages at www.fpl.com/storm; to report outages call 1-800-4OUTAGE (800-468-8343). FPUA customers can track outages at www.FPUA.com; to report outages call 772-466-7703.

Roads

Public Safety officials will close the bridges to the Hutchinson Island (both North and South) starting at noon today, until further notice. If residents want to get off the island and go to a shelter – now is the time to do so. Residents are urged to stay off the roads throughout the day as roads are starting to flood and traffic signals are starting to lose power. This information will be updated throughout the day and posted to www.stlucieco.gov/hurricane, as well as being shared on social media.  

Information Lines

St. Lucie County’s Emergency Operations Center is at a Level 1 (full) activation. Hurricane Irma press conferences/updates from St. Lucie County’s Emergency Operations Center will take place at 8 a.m., noon and 5 p.m. daily and will be streamed live to the county’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/stluciegov.

St. Lucie County’s Information Hotline, 772-460-HELP (4357), is open and will remain open until further notice.  Residents are urged to call the HELP Line to report flooding and road closure, instead of 9-1-1 – unless residents are in immediate danger from flooding.

Residents are also reminded to sign up for e-notifications Alert St. Lucie – www.stlucieco.gov/alert. Several messages were sent out by the State of Florida Division of Emergency Management to mobile devices this morning that were not part of Alert St. Lucie.

Shelters

As of 8 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 10, there were 2,305 people and 64 pets at the county’s shelters, which less is than 50 percent of the capacity. There are reports that residents from the west coast of Florida are starting take shelter in local facilities – exact numbers are still be calculated.

The general population shelters that are open include:

  • Fort Pierce Central High School, 4101 South 25thStreet, Fort Pierce – At capacity as of 11 a.m. Saturday.
  • Bayshore Elementary, 1661 SW Bayshore Blvd., Port St Lucie
  • Chester A Moore Elementary, 827 N 29th Street, Fort Pierce
  • Floresta Elementary, 1501 SE Floresta Drive, Port St Lucie
  • Lakewood Park Elementary, 7800 Indrio Road, Fort Pierce
  • Morningside Elementary, 2300 SE Gowin Drive, Port St Lucie
  • Oak Hammock Elementary, 1251 SW California Blvd., Port St Lucie
  • Parkway Elementary School, 7000 NW Selvitz Road, Port St Lucie
  • Samuel S. Gaines Academy, 2250 S Jenkins Road, Fort Pierce
  • Treasure Coast High School, 1000 SW Darwin Blvd. Port St. Lucie
  • Westgate K-8 School, 1050 NE Cashmere Blvd., Port St. Lucie
  • Westwood High School, 1801 Angle Road, Fort Pierce, which serves as a pet-friendly shelter. Residents need to bring crates that can comfortably accommodate their pets, as well as food, water and litter. Owners are required to show proof of current rabies vaccinations and licenses for their pets. Pets, along with their owners, will be taken on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Residents are reminded that shelters are places of last resort. Those planning to stay at a shelter should bring food, water, blankets, pillows and medications.

Medical Special Needs Shelter

St. Lucie County opened the Special Needs Shelter Friday, Sept. 8 at 9 a.m., which is located at the Havert L. Fenn Center, 2000 Virginia Ave., Fort Pierce.

Supplies needed for the Medical Special Needs Shelter:

  • Pillows
  • Linens
  • Blanket
  • Change of clothes (3 to 5 days)
  • Medications (in prescription bottles) and Lists of Medications)
  • Wound Care Supplies
  • Towels/ Washcloth
  • Wheelchair/ Walker
  • Personal Hygiene Items (soap, toothbrush, adult diapers, etc.)
  • Special Dietary Needs (Special Diets CANNOT be accommodated in a shelter)

As of 8 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 10, there were 365 special needs patients and 110 caregivers admitted into the special needs shelter.

Evacuations

Mandatory evacuations have been lifted for residents on North and South Hutchinson Island, in low-laying areas and those living in manufactured homes. However, a voluntary evacuation still remains in effect for those residents. Additionally, all residents are asked to stay off the roads, while this storm impacts our area. Furthermore, residents are reminded that this storm will produce strong surf and rip currents, so people should stay off the beaches and out of the waterways.

Government Closures

  • St. Lucie County government offices and facilities, including the Clerk of Courts, Tax Collector, Property Appraiser, Sheriff’s Office and Supervisor of Elections, will be closed on Monday, Sept. 11. This closure includes the skate park, Lawnwood Stadium, St. Lucie County libraries, preserves and attractions such as the Regional History Center, St. Lucie County Aquarium and the Oxbow Eco-Center. St. Lucie County Public Schools, as well as John Carroll High School and St. Anastasia Catholic School, will also be closed Monday, Sept. 11.

St. Lucie County Commissioners approved a local State of Emergency Declaration Tuesday evening; while Florida Gov. Scott issued a statewide declaration on Monday.

For more information about the St. Lucie County’s preparations and precautionary measures visit: www.stlucieco.gov/hurricaneor on social media @StLucieGov.

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