Inland counties working to recover from Irma's aftermath

Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Columbia, Union counties working to restore power

LAKE CITY, Fla. – Counties inland from the First Coast are working feverishly Tuesday to repair damage from Hurricane Irma. Thousands of residents across Northeast Florida and many roads remain impassable due to flooding.

Florida Power and Light issued a statement saying that East Coast customers should have their power resorted by the end of the week. Restoration for West Coast customers will be completed by Sept. 22. 

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Scroll down for the status of each county.

Alachua County

Multiple roads in the county are still blocked as of Tuesday. The following roads are closed:

  • Lake Shore Drive
  • Eagle Point
  • NW 98 Street-23 Ave to 39 Ave.
  • Robin Lane
  • NE 21 Street - North of NW 156 Ave at Church.
  • Hills of Santa Fe
  • SE 171 Street North of SE 30th.
  • NW 75 Street- North of SR 235.
  • NW 91 Street - South of CR 236
  • CR 236 - CR 239 to CR 241.1491 - North of NW 262 Ave.

For more information contact the Alachua County Communications Office at (352) 283-2317.

Alachua County public schools are closed through Wednesday. Twelve-month employees should report to work on Wednesday if they can do so safely.

Businesses with damage from Hurricane Irma located in the Alachua County area. Please fill out a damage assessment survey at http://flvbeoc.org/index.php?action=bda.

The information provided in the survey will be shared among various state and local agencies to expedite implementation of appropriate disaster relief programs for businesses. The survey assists the state with determining if relief services for businesses should be activated.

The Mandatory Evacuation Order remains in effect for flood-prone areas adjacent to the Santa Fe River. Water levels in the Santa Fe River will continue to rise through mid-week.

The following parks are closed until further notice:

  • Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park
  • Dudley Farm Historic State Park
  • Gainesville-to-Hawthorne State Trail
  • Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park
  • River Rise Preserve State Park
  • O'Leno State Park

Alachua County residents with questions about Hurricane Irma are asked to please call the county's Rumor Control line at 311 or 352-264-6557. 

Click here for the latest on public safety, road closures and other important updates.

Baker County

Many of the roads are still impassable and a large volume of residents are still without power Tuesday. Officials are working diligently to clear debris and restore power as quickly as possible.

The Sheriff’s Office is working to move the general population shelter from Macclenny Elementary School to the Family Service Center by Keller Intermediate School at 420 8th Street.

Baker County schools will be closed through Thursday. Emergency Management encourages citizens to sign up for emergency alerts at www.member.everbridge.net/index/892807736721815#/signup.

Those who have debris and a safe way to transport it can drop it off at the Baker County limb debris site at 3685 City Dump Road in Macclenny.

For the latest Baker County emergency updates, go to http://www.bakercountyfl.org or call 904-259-6111.

Bradford County

The county experienced severe flooding and many roads are still blocked. Sampson and Crosby lakes have exceeded flood levels.

Bradford County schools are closed through Thursday. School officials said they will make further decisions once the storm passes and they can assess campus safety.

  • The varsity football game scheduled to be a home game against Keystone for Friday night was changed to a Thursday night game in Keystone. The game begins at 6 p.m.
  • The JV football game scheduled for Thursday night in Keystone has been canceled.
  • All Bradford Middle and Bradford High cross country and volleyball matches scheduled for next Monday and Tuesday have been canceled.

All shelters are closed except the one at the First Baptist Church at 163 West Jefferson Street in Starke.

Government offices will reopen Wednesday.

Columbia County

Columbia County residents are urged to stay posted for updates and ensure they are prepared. Click here to visit Columbia County's Emergency Management website.

The storm has closed a tremendous amount of roads countywide.

Contact your electric company to report power outages. Columbia County electric providers and phone numbers are listed below.

Please be patient, as crews are working nonstop around the clock to get everyone restored as soon as possible.

  • Clay Electric: 386.752.7447
  • Suwannee Valley Electric: 800.468.8243  
  • Florida Power & Light: 800.4OUTAGE or 800.468.8243  
  • Duke Energy: 800.769.3766

DO NOT TOUCH DOWNED POWERLINES. Contact the Columbia County CIC to report downed lines at 386-719-7530. Please do not call to report power outages. Report outages to your electric provider.

The Emergency Operations Center has reduced operations. The public information officer that operates this page will return tomorrow and answer questions as soon as possible.

Residents who live along rivers, specifically, the Santa Fe and Suwannee rivers, are asked to monitor water levels closely, and make a plan (i.e. how will you leave, where you will go and what is your route) as the following rivers are expected to rise due to the large amount rain from the past two days: 

  • Santa Fe River -- 35.50 feet Thursday
  • Santa Fe at Three Rivers -- 25.50 feet Thursday
  • Suwannee River -- 77.30 feet Tuesday Afternoon

County offices will be closed through Tuesday.

Columbia County Schools will be closed through Thursday.

Waste collection will be completed one day behind normal schedule. The landfill will be open the following Saturday, Sept. 16.

Florida Gateway College will be closed through Friday. All class requirements are suspended until further notice. Faculty and staff are to report for duty on Thursday.

Evacuees are asked to please be cognizant of evacuees from other parts of Florida. Traffic in Columbia County on interstates, state roads, and local roads has increased substantially. Please use caution and allow plenty of time to travel to your desired location.

The following shelters are still active:

  • South Columbia-Ft. White Community Center (Special needs only)
  • Richardson Community Center
  • Winfield Community Center

Columbia County will provide an update as additional information becomes available.

Union County

Union County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff’s Office Department of Emergency Management are working closely with damage assessment teams that should be arriving in the county soon to help address any damage.

There are significant power outages across the county.

Public schools and government offices will be closed through Wednesday.

The Union County Sheriff's Office said the Emergency Operations Center was at full activation.

Click here to visit Columbia County's Emergency Management website.