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Children play at an emergency shelter at Browning-Pearce Elementary School.
Putnam County emergency shelters are slowly filling, with more residents expected as Hurricane Dorian approaches.
Shelters are running smoothly, officials said Tuesday, and they are expected to fill up as the weather intensifies. Officials are urging those who plan on seeking refuge to get to shelters sooner rather than later.
According to officials, Putnam County emergency shelters have a general population capacity of 5,975 and a special needs capacity of 250.
By Tuesday morning, there were about 350 people in general population shelters in Putnam County and 38 people with 11 caregivers in a special needs shelter.
Superintendent of Schools Rick Surrency — the operator of Putnam County’s emergency shelters — said as of Tuesday morning, things at the shelters were running smoothly.
“So far, we’re in good shape,” Surrency said. “We’re concerned about losing power, so the generators are gassed-up and ready to go. And we have staff in the shelters around the clock.”
Allison Waters-Merritt, spokeswoman for the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, which provides security for the shelters, said Tuesday morning officials held a shelter status meeting and there were no significant problems reported at any of them.
Surrency urged anyone expecting to take refuge in a shelter to go immediately.
“We expect an increase in the number of people today as the situation deteriorates,” Putnam County Emergency Services Battalion Chief Paul Flateau said Tuesday.
Even though Hurricane Dorian was expected to only graze the coast on its way north, officials expect flooding in some parts of the county, Flateau said. Winds will almost certainly mean some areas will not have electricity as well, he said.
“The storm is hard to predict,” Surrency said. “Neighboring counties might get hit worse and we could see some influx from there.”
Because Flagler County residents pass through Putnam when fleeing storms, many take refuge in local shelters, Surrency said.
Waters-Merritt said ensuring Putnam County’s homeless population had the opportunity to seek shelter was an important task.
On Monday, officials reached out to the homeless population by spreading the word at Bread of Life in Palatka and other areas in the city where there has been known to be a homeless population.
“We had Ride Solutions offer a bus, because there is no Palatka shelter, to drive them to Q.I. Roberts (Junion-Senior High School)” Waters-Merritt
One person took them up on the offer, she said.
Waters-Merritt said Tuesday the sheriff’s office was planning to contact the homeless again that afternoon to encourage them to seek shelter and provide transportation if they choose to go.
In the last few hours before the storm arrived, officials were hopeful it would spare Putnam County its worst but were still urging residents to take the storm seriously and take shelter soon.