Hurricane Ian: About 13% without power in St. Johns County

From Staff Reports
·4 min read

Hurricane Ian slowly crawled through Florida overnight Wednesday and early Thursday causing thousands of power outages in St. Johns County.

As winds increase and rain gets heavier, the St. Johns River is encroaching on the San Marco boat ramp across from downtown Jacksonville.
As winds increase and rain gets heavier, the St. Johns River is encroaching on the San Marco boat ramp across from downtown Jacksonville.

St. Johns County: Hurricane Ian forces closings and cancellations 

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All of the close to 13% of power customers are with Florida Power & Light. As of 1 p.m., there were 16,830 customers in the dark. Workers are restoring power as soon as possible.

Overall, more than 2.6 million are without power in Florida.

Flooding was reported in areas throughout downtown St. Augustine late Wednesday and early Thursday. The Bridge of Lions was closed because of flooding Thursday morning.

The county is expecting between four and six feet of coastal flooding and two to four feet of flooding along the St. Johns River.

John Regan, the city manager for St. Augustine, said areas in the city should expect flooding.

"Flooding is going to be above the flooding of Hurricane Irma and maybe closer to Hurricane Matthew. It's dangerous," he said during an update Wednesday evening.

Storm information

Residents can find information at the St. Johns County Emergency Operations Center website at SJCEmergencyManagement.org. The St. Johns County Emergency Management Citizen Information Line is 904-824-5550 or go to http://sjcfl.us/hurricane. For information from the city, go to citystaug.com.

For state information, go to floridadisaster.org. Search for open shelters by going to floridadisaster.org/planprepare/have-a-place-to-go or texting SHELTER and your ZIP code to 43362.

Create a shareable plan at ready.gov/plan.

Report flooding

The City of St. Augustine Public Works department is asking residents to report any flooding at http://www.citystaug.com/ReportFlooding or emailing stormwater@citystaug.com.

Northeast Florida Regional Airport

The Northeast Florida Regional Airport is closed until further notice. For information, call 904-209-0090 or go to flynf.com.

City offices

City of St. Augustine government offices will be closed at least through Friday.  The St. Augustine Municipal Marina is closed until further notice. For information, call 904-825-1004 or go to citystaug.com.

Drinking water

St. Johns County officials are warning of potentially contaminated drinking water as the impacts of Hurricane Ian arrive in the area.

All residents, businesses and visitors are asked be careful with tap water. Boil water notices will likely be issued if the system loses pressure.

Private well waters should be careful against unsafe water as well. For information, go to www.floridahealth.gov/healthy-environments/private-well-testing/index.html.

Some ways to be safe:

  • Use bottled water

  • Boiling water before using

  • Disinfect water by adding eight drops of unscented household bleach per gallon of water and let stand for 30 minutes. Be sure to cap the bottle to prevent contamination.

For general hurricane safety information, call the St. Johns County Emergency Operations Center hotline at 904-824-5550 or go to sjcemergencymanagement.org.

Cancelations and postponements

Garbage and recycling

St. Johns County suspended household garbage, recycling and yard debris collection schedules on Friday. The Tillman Ridge and Stratton Road Transfer Stations will also be closed.

The City of St. Augustine and the City of St. Augustine Beach suspended trash service on Friday. Service will resume as soon as conditions allow.

Pink Up the Pace

Events around Saturday’s Pink Up the Pace 5K run and walk in St. Augustine has been postponed because of the potential impact of Hurricane Ian. The expo, 5K run/walk and open house party will be rescheduled as soon as possible. For information, call 904-471-1819 or go to pinkupthepace.com.

Pups and Sups Dog Surfing

The Pups and Sups Dog Surfing Contest set for St. Augustine Beach has been postponed because of Hurricane Ian. The fundraiser will be rescheduled as soon as possible. For information and updates, call 904-471-2555 or go to facebook.com/GuyHarveyOceanfrontResortStAugustineBeach.

Limelight Theatre

Limelight will be closed at least through Saturday, Oct. 1. All events are postponed through Saturday. The St. Augustine theater is postponing the opening weekend of “Big Fish.” New dates will be determined as soon as possible. For information, call 904-825-1164, email limelightboxoffice@gmail.com or go to limelight-theatre.org.

St. Augustine Amphitheatre

The St. Augustine Amphitheatre Box Office, 1340 A1A South, will be closed through Saturday, Oct. 1. Regular hours will resume Thursday, Oct. 6. For information, call 904-209-0367 or go to theamp.com.

Molly Hatchett

The Molly Hatchett concert scheduled for Friday, Sept. 30, at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall has been postponed because of Ian. The Concert Hall is working with the band to set a new date. For updated concert information or tickets, call 904-209-0399 or go to pvconcerthall.com.

Todd Barry

Todd Barry’s comedy show scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 1, has been rescheduled for Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022, at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall, 1050 A1A North. His performance was also rescheduled from November 2021. All previously purchased tickets will be honored at the new date, no new ticket purchase necessary. For information or tickets, call 904-209-0399 or go to pvconcerthall.com.

This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: The impacts of Hurricane Ian slowly crawled through Florida overnight Wednesday and early Thursday.