Alachua County spared Ian's worst impacts, shelters deactivated and attention turns south

With Alachua County appearing to avoid the worst impacts of Ian, the focus turned Thursday to hard-hit areas to the south.

After the storm’s path shifted east, the county reported Thursday morning that it was deactivating shelters and no longer accepting new shelter residents. It also lifted a flood watch, now expecting just 1 inch of rain.

Alachua County Fire Rescue was instead working to send people and equipment to help those in high-impact areas to the south.

“Alachua County is pleased to report that we are in good shape as the path of now Tropical Storm Ian shifted dramatically to the east overnight," the county’s news release said. “However, our hearts go out to Florida residents who continue to deal with the destructive impacts of this storm."

But the Gainesville area still felt impacts from high winds. Gainesville Regional Utilities reported that at least 6,600 people were without power Thursday morning, with outages mostly impacting southwestern neighborhoods near Interstate 75 and Archer Road.

Local workers had been preparing for the possibility of significant impacts to infrastructure.

Darko Kovac, systems control manager for Gainesville Regional Utilities, said that electric, water and wastewater systems were the utility's biggest concerns from the storm.

"This amount of water is not normal to see on a regular day," Kovac said, noting that the area could see as much as 12 inches of rain. "That is going to put a lot of strain on the water, wastewater and electric together."

Kovac said the electric grid can be impacted by the wind, as well as the intrusion of water into GRU's underground facilities. He said GRU hired trucks to help pump out that excess wastewater to be able to more quickly restore that system.

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Like GRU, Alachua County Public Works brought in reinforcements in the form of two rented pump trucks and one from the wastewater management district that were ready to be dispersed around the county.

Those pumps were in addition to Public Works' permanent pump stations, including those at the entrances of flood-prone neighborhoods such as Hills of Santa Fe Hills, Robin Lane and Hayes Glen.

"Those pumps are actually what we call on floats, which means they will come on automatically at a certain water level," said Public Works Director Ramon Gavarrete.

Residents prepare for flooding

The city of Gainesville distributed sand and bags at two locations, its Public Works administration building and Citizens Field, to help residents prevent flooding. Roughly 32,000 bags had been distributed as of Wednesday afternoon.

Gavarrete said that fallen trees are a major concern.

"Let's face it, in our county we've got trees that fall in a regular afternoon storm," he said.

If fallen trees block major roads, Gavarrete said the priority is given to state roads followed by the county's major connectors, such as Southwest 75th Street and Northwest 43rd Avenue.

"We prepare for the worst and pray for the best," he said.

When it comes to the electric grid, Kovac said GRU's initial priority is its own facilities and equipment.

"We cannot serve our customers if our equipment is damaged," he said.

That is followed by circuits that include critical public facilities such as hospitals, police and fire stations, and nursing homes. GRU will then concentrate on the circuits with the greatest number of people in need.

GRU advised customers prior to Hurricane Ian making landfall to be prepared for widespread power outages. Real-time outages are reported on its website, gru.com/StormCentral, where residents can also find an estimated time of restoration.

The municipal utility serves approximately 93,000 customers across Alachua County. During Hurricane Irma, GRU restored power to roughly 53,000 customers within 48 hours.

Kovac stressed that residents should not touch anything on the ground that looks like a wire.

"It might be deadly," he said.

After Gainesville utilities are secure and running, Kovac said GRU is more than willing to send help to other parts of Florida.

Tree and line crews from West Virginia, Kentucky, Louisiana and Alabama are on standby at GRU's Eastside Operations Center ready to help local residents.

"When something like this happens, this is not just a GRU problem, this is a United States problem,” he said. “And if anybody needs our help, we will go there and help."

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Gainesville Alachua County utility companies ready for Hurricane Ian