Residents along the river staying put for Dorian
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The St. Johns River -
The St. Johns River
As Hurricane Dorian began its slow crawl toward the east coast of Florida, shelters slowly began to fill with refuge seekers. But some local residents, buoyed by high ground and a strong spirit, remained in place.
Putnam County Emergency Services Battalion Chief Paul Flateau said there were an estimated 2,500 structures in Flood Zone A, which is under mandatory evacuation. Flateau did not have an estimate on the number of people who lived in Flood Zone A. Flood Zone A includes flood-prone lands on the coast of several bodies of water in Putnam County.
Wayne McClain said even though he is close to the river, his home is on a hill and is not in the flood zone. Because of that, he decided to ride out the storm at his home.
McClain’s sentiment was not an isolated one. Around the river, Putnam County residents for whom Dorian will just be just another hurricane are being steadfast and staying put in their homes.
“It’s a beautiful day in Palatka,” county Tax Collector Linda Myers said on Monday. “I’ve been in Florida 60-plus years and I’ve been through a few of these. We’ve been through some rough storms, and we’re paying attention to the weather.”
Myers — who said her home is not in a flood zone despite its proximity to the river — took some reassurance from forecast models, as well as her own experience, that said Dorian would mostly spare Putnam County from the worst of the storm.
Her biggest concern was wind knocking down power lines.
“We might have trees down, and that always takes down power lines,” she said.
The family did stock up on batteries and other supplies, she said, but she and her husband do not have a backup generator.
Myers said some of her neighbors were busy preparing for the storm. She said her neighbors had brought their boats out of the water and were busy securing their docks for the impending storm.
During Hurricane Matthew in 2016, her neighbors lost their docks, she said. Since then, they rebuilt them taller. But it might not be enough.
“The high tide is over the top of my neighbor’s dock,” Myers said.
Casey Caison also said he planned to stay put during Dorian.
“I’m high up next to the river,” he said. “I think we’re just going to get some winds.”
His biggest concern is losing his dock, he said. It was damaged during Hurricane Irma, and he just had it repaired, he said.
He could not get insurance to replace a dock, Caison said.
“I’m going to wait it out. I’ve been here a long time and have been through a lot of these,” he said. “If it was a direct hit, then I’d probably leave. But as I understand, we’re going to get tropical storm winds.”
Despite the indomitable spirits of some local residents who are deciding to ride the storm out, officials are still concerned and are urging residents to not take chances.
Myers, Caison and McClain are not in flood zones, so they are not under mandatory evacuation orders. But many people in the county are. People who are in Zone A are urged to leave, officials say.
“The storm is very unpredictable and just a small change in course could bring it closer to shore,” Flateau said. “We still are expecting tropical storm-strength winds and maybe gusts up to hurricane strength. And we do expect flooding.”
One of the biggest concerns, Flateau said, was the danger that someone who chooses to stay in a mandatory evacuation area might get into trouble and need assistance from first responders. In such a case, help may be a long time coming, Flateau said.