Flooding, power outages expected in Putnam | Palatka Daily News, Palatka, Florida

Bill Pickens, chairman of the Putnam County Board of Commissioners, provides information about Hurricane Ian at a press release Wednesday morning.
A shopper carries groceries through the rain at the Palatka Winn-Dixie on Wednesday afternoon before the grocery store closed.
Rain falls at the Palatka Riverfront on Wednesday afternoon as Hurricane Ian begins to impact Putnam County.

Putnam County officials provided advice and updates on Hurricane Ian’s potential impact on the area at a press conference Wednesday morning.

Bill Pickens, chairman of the Putnam County Board of Commissioners, said experts expected around 7 inches of rain in most parts of the county, with some areas receiving up to 15 inches.

“While the exact track of the hurricane continues to change, Putnam County is expected to receive a tremendous amount of rainfall,” Pickens said.

Forecasters continue to anticipate “tropical storm winds” in the county with sustained peak wind speeds between 39 mph and 58 mph, the chairman said. Storm surges on the St. Johns River will likely reach 3 feet starting Thursday and peaking Friday.

Pickens reiterated that areas that flooded during Hurricane Irma will likely flood during Ian.

“Please prepare, stay inside and don’t go out unless you absolutely have to,” he said. “We had a tremendous amount of flood, downed trees (during Irma), so it’s going to be similar to that.”

Officials advise people in evacuation zones A and F, as well as those in flood-prone and low-lying areas, to evacuate to an emergency shelter. The following Putnam County shelters are open:

Robert H. Jenkins Elementary School, 251 S. State Road 315 in Interlachen
Ochwilla Elementary School, 299 N. State Road 21 in Hawthorne. Pets are allowed here.
Q.I. Roberts Junior-Senior High School, 901 State Road 100 in Florahome.
Browning-Pearce Elementary School, 100 Bear Blvd. in San Mateo.
Kelley Smith Elementary School, 141 Kelley Smith School Road in Palatka. This is a shelter for people with special needs.
Middleton-Burney Elementary School, 1020 Huntington Road in Crescent City

Public Safety Director JR Grimes said the Florida National Guard has deployed troops to Putnam County to assist the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office in keeping these shelters safe.

Grimes warned that it is not always physically possible for first responders to reach certain areas during a hurricane.

“We’ll do whatever we can to get you out, but there’s no guarantee (that) when the storm surge starts coming that we can still get you out,” he said.

Pickens advised that the state, not the county, controls whether the Memorial Bridge and Dunns Creek Bridge will remain open throughout the storm. This decision is based on whether the bridges are no longer safe to cross due to wind speeds or other hazards.

The bridges remained open Wednesday morning.

Contrary to rumors, Putnam County Emergency Management emphasized in a Wednesday morning Facebook post that no curfew is in place in Putnam County and “curfews have not been discussed.”

Pickens spoke highly of local preparations and responses to the storm.

“I just want to say as a commissioner, I’m really proud to be on the board and working with all the agencies involved with this,” he said.

Some local grocery stores have closed during the storm, representatives said Wednesday.

The Palatka Walmart, Save a Lot, Publix and Winn-Dixie closed Wednesday. Winn-Dixie locations in Crescent City and Melrose also closed.

All Hitchcock’s Markets in Putnam County plan to operate during normal business hours Wednesday and Thursday, a representative said Wednesday. A representative at Williamson’s Food Store in Melrose also said that Williamson’s will be open during normal hours as long as it has power.

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office also announced Wednesday morning that its administrative offices are closed through Friday.

In a press release Wednesday, the city of Palatka advised residents that the following intersections are prone to flooding:

River Street and Laurel Street
Crill Avenue underpass
Crill Avenue and Moseley Avenue
Golf Drive and Moseley Avenue
Eagle Street and N 14th Street
Eagle Street and N 13th Street
Reid Street and N 17th Street
N 15th Street and Napoleon Street

Clay Electric Cooperative warned in a press release that Hurricane Ian “poses a serious threat to Clay Electric’s 14-county service area” and that falling trees and flying debris may cause outages.

“Due to the magnitude of the storm, members should prepare to go without power for an extended period of time,” the company said.

The company warned people to be wary of low-hanging or downed power lines if they go outside during or immediately after the storm. It also encouraged people to practice proper safety when operating generators and never plug a generator into their home’s wiring system.

Florida Power & Light’s website also encourages residents to report downed power lines, avoid driving in damaged areas and disconnect electronic equipment if their power goes out.

The power company warned people against standing in water while plugging or unplugging any electric device, or while operating switches. It also encouraged people to turn on appliances one at a time when power comes back on.

A map of FPL’s outages can be viewed online at the following link: https://www.fplmaps.com/index.html. And Clay Electric outages can be viewed at https://outagemap.clayelectric.com/maps/ExternalOutageMap/.

People with questions about Hurricane Ian can call the Putnam County Emergency Management information line at 386-329-1904.