Putnam Braces for Tropical Storm Elsa | Palatka Daily News, Palatka, Florida

States of emergency declared; government offices to close for the day

Putnam County officials, residents and members of the county’s inmate work crew fill bags of sand Tuesday at the East Palatka Community Park.
A Putnam County Public Works Department truck dumps sand at the East Palatka Commmunity Park on Tuesday as residents fill bags of sand to prepare for Tropical Storm Elsa.
Weather experts show the projected amounts of rain slated to hit Florida today as Tropical Storm Elsa will brush over the state.

Putnam County residents heaved sandbags into the back of their cars Tuesday in preparation for Tropical Storm Elsa’s damage.

Meanwhile, Gov. Ron DeSantis expanded the state of emergency for the storm to include Putnam along with Baker, Bradford, Clay, Duval, Nassau and Union counties. Elsa was upgraded to a hurricane Tuesday night.

Also on Tuesday, Palatka and other municipalities such as the town of Welaka followed suit with the Board of County Commissioners, which enacted a state of emergency Monday.

Putnam was under a flood watch from the National Weather Service in Jacksonville, with rainfall expected to begin early today.

“Let me reiterate that the Welaka Town Council making this declaration is in no way a reason to panic. It merely opens up resources to the town of Welaka from the county, state and federal levels should those resources become necessary,” Welaka Mayor Jamie Watts said in a statement. “I believe in being proactive rather than reactive.”

East Palatka resident Catherine Smith drove to East Palatka Community Park on Tuesday to pick up sandbags for her home, but she said she was not worried about the tropical storm.

“I’ll be prepared,” she said. “It’s best to be prepared.”

Residents could drive to locations across Putnam to fill up sandbags in preparation for heavy rainfall expected as Elsa brushes over the area today. People who live in flood-prone areas were advised to take precautions and watch for high winds.

Palatka Mayor Terrill Hill on Tuesday declared a state of emergency for the city, which is effective through July 13.

Palatka government offices will be closed today, while city activities, such as the Police Athletic League Summer Camp, have also been canceled today. A Palatka Municipal Airport Advisory Board meeting scheduled for noon today was canceled.

The city said there will be no trash pickup today. Monday and Thursday pickup will be on Thursday, and Tuesday and Friday pickup will be Friday, according to a press release from the city. There will be no yard trash pickup this week and no commercial dumpster collection today. The county said it did not expect a change in trash pickup schedules, which are already a day behind because of the July Fourth holiday.

In the south end of the county, Crescent City’s city commission meeting is still scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at City Hall.

Georgia-Pacific, Putnam County’s largest private employer, said Tuesday it does not anticipate any disruption to normal operations at its Palatka mill but will continue to monitor the storm and will be prepared if conditions change.

“We have been carefully monitoring Elsa’s track since last week and making preparations to ensure the safety of our team, operations and community,” said GP spokesman Mark Brown. “We monitor National Weather Service forecasts and also benefit from collaboration and information from our local Emergency Management officials as we make decisions.”

City and county government offices are closed today but are scheduled to reopen Thursday. Putnam County libraries are closed today.

St. Johns River State College is closed and canceled all classes and activities for today. The Putnam County School District also canceled all summer activities, including its summer feeding program.

As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane warning for the West Coast of Florida but not for Putnam.

While Elsa was upgraded to a hurricane Tuesday night, the National Hurricane Center shows it likely downgrading back to a tropical storm by the time it reaches Putnam. The Weather Service said areas of Northeast Florida could receive 3 to 5 inches of rain, with some potentially seeing more.

According to Putnam County Emergency Management, there are no plans to close the Memorial Bridge connecting Palatka and East Palatka. None of the county’s six storm shelters were opened Tuesday.

“The biggest concern for Putnam County will be rainfall and localized flooding,” Emergency Management officials said Tuesday. “There is a chance for fallen trees and power outages.”

The Weather Channel reported cloudy weather and scattered thunderstorms midnight Wednesday through Thursday.

Residents are encouraged to secure loose yard items and not drive in flooded areas.

Florida Power & Light and Seminole Electric, which both serve customers in Putnam, said they have personnel ready to respond to power outages.

County officials said because of the ground being saturated from recent rainfall, there is the potential for downed trees.

The county's Emergency Operations Center is activated for emergency calls. The center can be reached at 329-1904.

Palatka Daily News Editor Wayne Smith contributed to this story.