FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – Flagler County's beaches will be closed until further notice because of safety issues.
“The problem is that schools are closed until Wednesday, (and) families and kids are going to want to come to the beach,” Flagler Beach Police Chief Matt Doughney said. “But the beaches just aren’t safe because there is so much debris in the water and on the beach.”
That debris includes wood from the pier that was partially destroyed, roofing nails, and both metal and wood from the dune walkovers, which have also been left unsafe for use.
“We want people to come to beach and enjoy the restaurants,” Doughney said. “Unfortunately, we have to close the beaches. We haven’t begun the clean-up efforts at the beach and we want people to be safe.”
The Flagler County Supervisor of Elections offices reopened Monday.
“Given that it is so close to the General Election, Supervisor Kaiti Lenhart wanted to go ahead and open her office,” Flagler County Administrator Craig Coffey said. “It’s important for her to be open to serve the voters.”
The Palm Coast Branch of the Flagler County Public Library will be open from noon until 5 p.m., with limited services available. There will be a limited supply of water and ready-to-eat meals distributed from this location.
For general questions, use the citizen information call-in line at 386-586-5111 or www.flagleremegency.com. Hours of operation are changing to 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Bridges fully reopen at 7 a.m. Monday
The bridges leading from the mainland to the barrier island will fully reopen to everyone at 7 a.m. Monday, after the curfew ends for the morning.
“We ask that anyone going into Flagler Beach or the Hammock be respectful of the clean-up efforts the residents who live there,” Coffey said. “We don’t want to interfere with their work.”
Officials also ask that beachside visitors stay out of the depressions on State Road A1A.
“We are concerned for everyone’s safety,” Coffey said. “We are worried that portions of the roadway may still wash away.”
Food distribution
Flagler County has set up seven locations for residents to get a hot meal Sunday and the American Red Cross has six roving vehicles distributing food.
- Veterans Park, 105 S. 2nd Street, Flagler Beach, from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.
- The Adult Education Center, 5633 N. Highway A1A, Hammock, from 4:30 p.m. until about 6 p.m.*
- Flagler County Main Branch Library, 2500 Palm Coast Pkwy NW, Palm Coast from 4:30 p.m. until about 6 p.m.
- Town Center in Palm Coast (where the food trucks stage), 975 Central Avenue, from 4:30 p.m. until about 6 p.m.
- Bunnell Housing Authority, 414 Bacher Street, Bunnell, noon until about 6 p.m.
- Hidden Trails Community Center, 6108 Mahogany Blvd., 4:30 p.m. until about 6 p.m.
Officials consolidated from three emergency shelters to one.
Residents return home
Residential re-entry began in stages Saturday after preliminary Hurricane Matthew damage assessments were done, Flagler County officials said. Proof of residency will be required to get to the barrier island.
“We have done assessments and the roads are passable,” Coffey said. “That doesn’t mean there aren’t some hazards on some of the roadways, but they are in decent shape. Please remember to use caution and be safe.”
VIDEO: Sky 4 surveys Hurricane Matthew damage | Coverage of historic storm
“As residents return home and they await the restoration of power, we ask that the use of generators be limited to houses that are high and dry,” said Steve Garten, Flagler County Public Safety Emergency Manager. “Powering up a home that has been under water is extremely dangerous. Please don’t do it.”
Flagler County consolidated all its evacuees to Bunnell Elementary School, which can accommodate residents with special needs, those with pets and the general population. It will remain open as long as it is needed.
“People started leaving the shelter upon hearing they could return home,” Flagler County Administrator Craig Coffey said. “It just made sense to condense everything to one building.”
Those still in the shelter were moved Sunday to Church on the Rock, which is now serving as the shelter for Flagler County.
Supervisor Jacob Oliva reported that school staff is working hard to clean all of its facilities so classes for students can be resumed.
Church on the Rock is located at 2200 N. State Street, Bunnell. The phone number is 386-437-9915.
Most of State Road A1A in Flagler County is undrivable, with long sections of the highway washed out in the storm surge.
"It's unbelievable what nature can do," storm survivor Cheryl Combee said. "We're blessed. I feel very blessed by God."
Combee said she realized she was lucky after choosing not to evacuate from Beachside because of her cats. She said she wouldn't stay behind again.
"It was very scary," she said. "You don't know what's going to happen. You're risking your life."
The damage was heaviest in the northern section, in Marineland Acres. There was damage to the Flagler Beach Pier, but there's no specific assessment yet.
A husband and wife had to be rescued from their home, but no deaths or injuries were reported.
Inoperable stop lights must be treated as four-way stop signs.
“We cannot have people going through intersections without checking for traffic coming from the opposite directions,” said Flagler Beach Police Chief Matt Doughney.
PHOTOS: Hurricane Matthew's aftermath
For general questions, please use the citizen information call-in line at 386-586-5111. People are answering calls 24 hours a day to help keep the 911 lines free for emergencies.
Surfside Estates torn up
The damage in Surfside Estates was overwhelming.
There are a few hundred homes in the neighborhood and large parts of roofs were torn off, the side paneling to homes was found down the street.
About every other home has some sort of damage to it, most of it pretty significant, like screen porches blown away and awnings ripped off. Many people said it looked like a tornado touched down.
“It was heartbreaking coming through here and seeing some of our neighbors’ homes are gone," Therese Morgan said.
Morgan evacuated to Tampa for the last three days with her family, unsure what she was going to come back to. Dozens of neighbors returned to find only half of their homes intact.
Morgan said it looked as if the winds played hop scotch with the hundreds of houses throughout the neighborhood.
"Driving around today, it would skip a couple of homes and then the next home, the fronts are demolished, the roofs are gone, you can see through the homes," Morgan said.
Robert Hudson's home was left untouched. His next door neighbor's carport was ripped off.
"It could have been a lot worse, if that hurricane woudl have been inland a little more," Hudson said. "If it had been 150 miles an hour, I don't think we would even be here right now."
Street after street, it was the same scenario. Panels and awnings torn off, pieces of glass and metal scattered through yards, the sides of some houses leveled.
Ed Noack said he imagined the hurricane was going to be bad, but seeing the reality of the force of its winds is unbelievable.
“It looked like the whole front had caved in, but it was the roof had come over here and was laying in the ground," he said. “It has the rubberized roofing which is supposed to last forever, but then the wind got hold of it and peeled if off like a banana.”
The neighbors in the 55 and older community are pulling together to get homes rebuilt now and in the coming days.
Curfew remains
The curfew will remain for the barrier island from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily until further notice, but the curfew is being lifted west of the Intracoastal.
The suspension of alcohol sales was lifted Monday.
The county said it is putting out resources to help families who have lost their homes. That includes food, water, and keeping shelters open. The American Red Cross is helping as well.
Secure tarps, cover exposed areas
While it appears that Hurricane Matthew will not rear its head again as officials once feared, it does appear that Flagler County will experience breezy conditions beginning Monday.
“Northeast winds are forecast to be between 15 and 20 mph with some higher gusts,” Garten said. “There is also a chance of some scattered showers.”
Conditions are predicted to be worse along the coast than inland.
“Please secure tarps so they don’t blow away,” Garten said. “Also, if your home has any exposed areas, it’s a good idea to cover them to prevent additional water damage.”
Hurricane Matthew 911 calls released
The Flagler County Sheriff's Office released on Saturday several 911 calls received during Hurricane Matthew involving homes on Nantucket Drive in the Sea Colony subdivision, which is located along State Road A1A in the northern end of Flagler County.
Sea Colony is located along State Road A1A in the northern end of Flagler County.
911 Dispatcher: "Flagler County Sheriff's Office, how may I help you?"
Caller: "Hi .. Who is this?"
Dispatcher: "Flagler County Sheriff's Office."
Caller: "OK ... In Sea Colony and they didn't evacuate. And my mother just called me and the ocean water is surrounding their house. I don't know what to do. Can somebody help me?"
Dispatcher: "OK. What's their address?"
Caller: "39 Nantcket Drive"
Dispatcher: "Nantucket Drive?"
Caller: "Yes, my dad is paralyzed and my mother is up on the kitchen counter. I just don't know what to do. They should've evacuated and they didn't."
Rescuers were forced to use jet skis to reach residents in flooded homes.
Power outages
As of 5 p.m. Saturday, power has been restored to nearly half of Flagler County’s residents.
Power has been restored to 24,220 customers while 31,050 are still awaiting electricity.
FP&L sent 275 linemen to Flagler County on Saturday and those crews have been working around the clock to restore power.
“They are facing a lot of challenges and we really appreciate their efforts,” Flagler County Administrator Craig Coffey said. “Please be patient as they continue their work.”
As always, consider downed power lines as live. Be careful when engaging in debris removal and associated activities.
Flagler County schools remain closed Monday, Tuesday
Because damage assessments and clean-up operations will take time, as well as the continued need of shelter space for residents, all Flagler County schools will remain closed Monday and Tuesday, Superintendent Jacob Oliva said Saturday.
The county is currently developing a timeline for when schools will reopen.
Maintenance teams from Flagler Schools are touring all schools and sites Saturday, assessing the damages now that the weather has cleared following Hurricane Matthew. Preliminary checks show some exterior damage at a few sites.
Bunnell Elementary School, Rymfire Elementary School and Buddy Taylor Middle School are still being used as shelters for displaced Flagler County residents.
Hurricane Matthew debris collection begins in Palm Coast
Debris collection began Sunday and will continue until all storm debris is collected. This collection effort may take several days or weeks due to the amount of debris over most of the city. In an effort to expedite the debris removal, the city asks residents to help by separating everything at the curb into the following categories:
• Vegetative debris – leaves, logs, plants, tree branches, etc.
• Construction & demolition debris – building materials, asphalt shingles, drywall, lumber, metal, plastics, etc.
• Normal household trash - Normal household trash and bagged debris of any kind will not be picked up with debris as part of this program. You should continue to follow your normal garbage schedule.
Residents should not place debris piles near other objects like fire hydrants and mailboxes or under power lines or low-hanging branches that would interfere with the collection equipment.
The city’s wastewater sewer system is reaching capacity, and the city is urging residents to limit the use of water -- even if they have power. Don’t do laundry and limit flushing and showers.
If you have a pep tank and your power is not back on yet, when your power comes back on, the pep tank alarm may go off. To silence the ring, there's a re-set button on the side panel located on the side of your house. Then report to Customer Service at 386-986-2360 for required maintenance. The pep system information guide is online at: http://docs.palmcoastgov.com/departments/utility/Pep%20Booklet.pdf.
For residents on gravity sewer, Palm Coast Utility has tanker trucks in the field to hasten the pumping down of our sewer system, but if the system reaches capacity it would cause a backup. So please limit your use of water.
City Hall, the Palm Coast Community Center and the Utility Office will resume normal operation at 8 a.m. Monday.
Frieda Zamba Swimming Pool will be closed Monday and Tuesday. Palm Harbor Golf Club, the Palm Coast Tennis Center and all other City of Palm Coast parks and trails will be closed until cleanup can be completed. If you have a reservation at a park or facility, please contact Parks & Recreation at 386-986-2323.
All city bridges have been inspected and are good.
Store, supply update
As of Saturday, Publix told to Flagler County officials it had received shipments of 7,000 cases of 24-packs of bottled water at each of its stores.
Additionally, the following stores have passed these details to Flagler County staff:
- Target – Regular hours, debit/credit working
- Dollar Tree at 5100 E Hwy 100 – Regular hours, debit / credit working
- Publix – All stores, regular hours, debit / credit working
- Winn Dixie at 1260 W. Palm Coast Parkway- Regular hours, cash only
- Winn Dixie at Flagler Beach – Limited provisions until 7 p.m. this evening
Flagler officials urge storm water safety
Flagler County officials are urging residents to follow safety tips around flood water.
“Flood water is its own safety hazard,” Garten said. “Please use caution around standing water.”
Safety tips:
- Clean and dry everything that got wet, as flood waters pick up sewage and chemicals from roads and commercial buildings.
- Throw out spoiled and cosmetics and medications that have gotten wet. They are a health hazard. Contact the Health Department at 386-437-7358 to dispose of medications.
- Do not let children play in or around high water, storm drains or ditches. Besides drowning risks, the water could be contaminated. Additionally, debris and other hazards may not be visible beneath the surface.
- Look before you step. Floors and stairs may be covered with slippery mud, or other hazardous materials.
- Remember there are animal hazards such as snakes, rodents (and other small animals), fire ants and scorpions. Any or all of these creatures could have entered homes and buildings looking for shelter.