ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – After Hurricane Milton’s overnight impact, St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick on Thursday morning urged county residents to stay where they are while deputies assess the damage.
MORE: Hurricane Milton brings major flooding to downtown St. Augustine, other parts of St. Johns County
“We know that people are going to want to return, especially back to the counties in western Florida near Tampa. We ask them to just stay put so we can assess the damage and rescue the people that decided to stay and not heed the warnings,” he said. “Be patient, hang tight and watch our social media platforms as we go throughout the day.”
Hardwick said there was reported flooding in downtown St. Augustine, Hastings, near the Flagler County line and in Flagler Estates.
High tide is at 2 p.m. on Thursday, and Hardwick warned there could be more flooding then.
As of 6 a.m., about 30,000 customers were without power in the county.
Hardwick said when the sun comes up, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office will put up drones to get a better look at the damage and help anyone who needs it.
One of the challenges overnight came when the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office lost 911 service and St. Johns County had to help out. Hardwick said that kept his deputies busy.
Hardwick said the sheriff’s office would be very lenient on the evacuation order that was issued in parts of the county.
“We know people want to get back to their property or leave their property but also too we want to respect the residents that are in these flooded areas,” he said.
Stay off the roads
St. Johns County Emergency Management stressed early Thursday morning for residents to stay off the roads as officials assessed the damage in the area. It said that debris and flooding or downed powerlines could be issues in the county. Emergency personnel were in the process of clearing those problem areas. More updates will be provided throughout the day. For information, the citizen hotline can answer questions. That number is 904-824-5550.