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Interim Emergency Services Director Ryan Simpson
As the state prepares for Hurricane Dorian, county and school officials are keeping close eyes on the status of schools and other facilities.
As of 4 p.m. Thursday, Putnam County School District officials said there would be no school closures today. Superintendent Rick Surrency said the district would continue to monitor the storm and any tropical storm-force winds resulting from it.
“The main thing is when winds get to that level, we would not want buses and kids on the road where winds might be hazardous,” he said.
Surrency said as the district and county monitor Dorian and its potential effect on Putnam, residents are encouraged to stay on high alert for updates.
“Pay close attention to public announcements and social media,” he said.
In addition to the school district, St. Johns River State College is also holding classes and keeping its campus open. Another update will be provided later today, the college said in a statement.
“College officials are closely monitoring Hurricane Dorian. Classes are scheduled to be in session for all SJR State campuses until further notice,” SJR State said. “Should a change in the weather impact college operations, alerts will be provided through the college website, email, text alerts and Facebook.”
Putnam County Emergency Services Battalion Chief Paul Flateau said as of 4 p.m. Thursday, the county had not scheduled the activation of any emergency shelters. He said officials would continue monitoring the storm to determine the best course of action.
“Currently, no shelters are scheduled to be open yet,” Flateau said. “We are still waiting and monitoring the weather authorities. The projected impact of our area has been delayed.”
If shelters were to open, Flateau said they would be located in each area of the county, giving residents in South and West Putnam closer access. There would also be a pet-friendly shelter and a shelter for people with special needs if shelters opened, he said.
Flateau said county Emergency Services would make it a priority to alert residents through social media or putnamalert.com if shelters were to open. But he said residents should remember shelters should not be their first option in the event of a storm.
“If they can seek shelter at another place that is safe, that is somewhere that is not in a low-lying area, somewhere that is not a manufactured home and might be out of the high-impact area, those are recommended first,” he said.
As schools and the county continue to monitor the storm and how it might affect the operations of facilities, local leaders are meeting several times a day to make sure all parties are involved and on the same page.
“There is a lot of cooperation between the school district, the county, the city (of Palatka) and the Emergency Operations Center,” he said. “All the entities are represented at the table.”