St. Lucie County Hurricane Irma Update Wednesday, Sept. 6

LUCIE COUNTY – St. Lucie County’s Emergency Management Division continues to monitor the track of Hurricane Irma – a severe storm that is expected to impact the Treasure Coast this weekend. Residents are strongly urged to continue to make their final plans ahead of the storm.

Government Closures

St. Lucie County government offices and facilities, include the Clerk of Courts, Tax Collector, Property Appraiser, Sheriff’s Office and Supervisor of Elections, will be closed on Thursday, Sept. 7 and Friday, Sept. 8. 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 be closed Thursday, Sept. 7 and Friday, Sept. 8. Indian River State College will be closed Thursday, Sept. 7 to Sunday, Sept. 10. IRSC will remain open through the evening of Wednesday, Sept. 6

Evacuations

Voluntary evacuations have been issued for residents who already have plans to leave the area to avoid potential traffic and fuel issues, especially those living in mobile homes, low-laying areas and along the barrier island.

Shelters

St. Lucie County will open the special needs shelter on Friday, Sept. 8 at 9 a.m., which is located at the Havert L. Fenn Center, 2000 Virginia Ave., Fort Pierce. Residents planning to use the special needs shelter must pre-register at www.stlucieco.gov/eoc.

Eight general population shelters will open on Saturday, Sept. 9 at 9 a.m.:

Westwood High School, 1801 Angle Road, Fort Pierce, which will also serve as a pet-friendly shelter. Residents need to bring crates for their pets, as well as food, water and litter. All pets must have up-to-date vaccinations. Pets, along with their owners, will be taken on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Fort Pierce Central High School, 4101 South 25^th Street, Fort Pierce.
Treasure Coast High School, 1000 SW Darwin Blvd. Port St. Lucie.
Westgate K-8 School, 1050 NE Cashere Blvd., Port St. Lucie.
Lakewood Park Elementary, 7800 Indrio Road, Fort Pierce.

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

Transit

The Treasure Coast Connector fixed route service will run a regular service on Thursday, Sept. 7 and Friday, Sept. 8 – unless winds require that the vehicles to be taken off the road. At this time, service is not expected to be available Saturday, Sept. 9. With regard to demand/response, regular service has been canceled for Thursday and Friday. Trips for dialysis will only be provided on those days and will be available for special needs transport as directed.

Garbage

Garbage collection will continue through the week, but residents and businesses are asked to no longer put out yard debris and tree limbs to prevent these materials from becoming projectiles and blocking drains.

Updates

St. Lucie County will go to a Level 2 (partial) activation of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) on Thursday, with a Level 1 (full) activation on Friday or Saturday. Once the EOC is fully activated, updates will be provided on WQCS 88.9 FM and on the county’s Facebook pages at 8 a.m., noon and 5 p.m. St. Lucie County’s Information Hotline, 772-460-HELP (4357), are open.

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/hurricane or on social media @StLucieGov.