Essential information for Clay County residents to prepare for Hurricane Milton

CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — As Hurricane Milton approaches, Clay County officials are encouraging residents to take precautionary steps ahead of the storm.

Effective 8:00 a.m. today, in advance of potential storm conditions due to Hurricane Milton Clay County isunder a state of Emergency. This follows the declaration of a state of emergency issued by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Residents are advised to get storm-ready by knowing their evacuation zones, making an emergency plan, and assembling a disaster supply kit

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Key Items for Your Disaster Supply Kit:

• Food and water for family and pets
• First aid supplies, including medications and prescriptions
• Emergency equipment such as radios, batteries, phone chargers, and flashlights
• Cash and important documents

READ: Hurricane Milton: Closings, cancellations, and resources for Northeast Florida, Southeast Georgia

Free Sandbags:

• Clay County will provide free sandbags on Monday and Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. as long as weather permits at the following locations
• Eagle Harbor Sports Complex -- 4387 Lakeshore Dr., Fleming Island
• 25 Roderigo Avenue, Green Cove Springs
• Orange Park Sports and Recreational Park -- 1086 Fromhart Street, Orange Park
• Omega Park -- 4317 Co Rd 218, Middleburg
• Across from City Hall -- t 555 S. Lawrence Blvd., Keystone Heights
• Sandbags are limited to 10 per person. Bags are first come, first served and have a limited supply. The county will refill the sites as needed. You will have to fill up your own bags.
• Shovels are not provided. Residents should bring their own to fill their bags.
• Will continue to offer bags until they are gone or if it becomes unsafe for our employees to be in the conditions. The county will refill the sites as needed.

School Closures:

At this time there has been no announcement of Clay Schools closing due to Hurricane Milton. We should expect announcements by Monday evening.

Shelters:

At this time there has been no announcement of Clay County shelters opening due to Hurricane Milton. We should expect announcements by Monday evening.

• The Call Center will be open starting Monday. That number is 877-252-9362 or 877-CLAYEOC.

Pet Preparedness:

If evacuation orders are issued, residents are reminded not to leave pets behind. It is important to ensure their safety as part of your storm preparations. Items to include in a pet disaster kit:

• Food and water
• Medications
• Vaccination records
• Collars with identification
• Leashes and carriers for evacuation

Debris pickup:

• Disaster debris vendors will start collecting vegetative storm debris piles on Monday, October 7.
• A new trash company, FCC Environmental Services, will pick up bagged and containerized yard waste. We know there is a concern about debris piles in this storm. Crews will pick up storm debris for as long as conditions remain safe and will resume when it is safe to do so.

Garbage collection:

• Will continue to work closely with FCC Environmental Services to handle the trash pickups.
• They will do pick-ups on Monday and Tuesday.
• Clay will keep their community updated regarding any delayed collections as the storm gets closer to us. Crews will pick up trash and yard waste for as long as conditions remain safe and will resume when it is safe to do so.

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