Hurricane Ian: Resources and Reopenings in NE Florida

JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Check back for updates through the week for the latest on reopenings in the Northeast Florida area:

Duval County:

Jacksonville area beaches are reopen, as of noon Friday. This includes, Atlantic, Neptune, and Jacksonville Beach. Mayor Lenny Curry says there’s still a high rip current risk, so beach goers should stay out of the water.

Jacksonville Beach Pier will reopen at 7am Saturday, October 1st.

Jacksonville area shelters are closing Friday. This will allow schools to reopen but DCPS will make the final call. We’ll have updates as they come.

Jacksonville City Offices will reopen Monday, October 3rd at 8am.

Buses: Jacksonville Transportation Authority will restart regular bus service by noon on Friday, September 30. Bus routes, First Coast Flyer, and Express Select services will operate on regular schedules. Customers are encouraged to visit https://www.jtafla.com/media-center/service-alerts/ or contact Customer Service to learn of any detours before heading out.

St. Johns River Ferry will return Saturday, October 1 in the afternoon as weather permits.

Connexion and Connexion Plus paratransit will resume life-sustaining trips only starting at noon on Friday, September 30. Service for all paratransit customers will resume by Monday, October 3.

The Skyway will return to regular service by Monday, October 3.

Jacksonville International Airport will be open for operations on Friday, September 30 with limited food service. Some airlines will operate on reduced schedules, so it’s important to check flight status with them before heading to the terminal. The TSA security checkpoint will open at 7 am.

Garbage, yard waste and recycling services will resume on Monday.

Due to severe weather caused by Hurricane Ian, all Nemours Children’s Health, Jacksonville servers and phone lines are down. Nemours Children’s Health, Jacksonville leadership has decided to close all locations Friday, September 30. Following an assessment of the servers, a decision will be made regarding resuming normal operations on Monday, October 3. For additional information and real-time updates, please visit: www.nemours.org/ian

Duval County Public Schools will be fully open and operational on Monday, October 3. School activities will resume as normal.

St. Johns County:

Beaches remain closed until Saturday. There were a couple dozen water rescues throughout the duration of the event. There were no fatalities.

Effective immediately on Friday, Sept. 30, evacuation orders for all zones enacted in St. Johns County in response to Hurricane Ian have been lifted. Residents are encouraged to drive with caution as isolated areas may still have standing water causing them to be impassable and may be restricted by emergency services. With the evacuation order lifted, shelters will begin demobilizing and close at 3 p.m.

Regular operations of Flagler Hospital will resume beginning at 8 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 30. This includes visitation for hospitalized patients. Additionally, the following Flagler Health+ locations will reopen over the next two days including:

· Telehealth kiosks in Publix stores throughout St. Johns County – remain open, as long as the Publix store is open

· CAIR Center for urgent behavioral health needs – reopens at 9 a.m. on Friday

· Publix Pharmacy inside of Flagler Hospital – reopens for regular business hours on Friday

· Care Fast+ Urgent Care in St. Augustine and MuraBella – reopens at 8 a.m. on Saturday

· Flagler Health+ Laboratory on SR 312 – reopens at 8 a.m. on Saturday

· Infusion Center – reopens for scheduled appointments on Saturday

All other locations and scheduled appointments, procedures and scheduled surgeries will resume regular business hours and operations on Monday, Oct. 3.

St. Johns County has suspended household garbage, recycling, and yard debris collection schedules from Thursday, Sept. 29, through Friday, Sept. 30. The county will be conducting a make-up household garbage collection on Saturday, October 1 for residents who were scheduled to have service on September 29 and September 30. Those wanting their household garbage picked up should place their bins by the curb for collection. No recycling, yard waste, or storm debris will be collected. Normal collection schedules will resume on Monday, October 3.

St. Johns County has experienced significant impacts from Hurricane Ian throughout St. Johns County. Although the storm has moved from the area, residents who evacuated are urged to wait before returning. There are numerous trees and powerlines down and flooding throughout the County causing hazardous conditions.

Officials are assessing the damage and crews are removing debris as quickly as possible, however this process will take some time. Residents are urged to remain indoors and those who evacuated should wait until evacuation orders are lifted before returning to their homes. Any St. Johns County residents or business owners who have storm-related structural damage from Hurricane Ian or permitting questions, please call the St. Johns County Building Services Structural Hotline at 904.827.6836.

For residents and business owners within the City of St. Augustine limits, please call 904.209.4327.

St. Johns County residents needing assistance with damage from Hurricane Ian may call the Home Cleanup Hotline at 800.451.1954 to be connected with volunteers from local relief organizations, community groups, and faith communities. These groups may be able to assist with cutting fallen trees, removing drywall, flooring, and appliances, tarping roofs, and mold mitigation. This service is free but not guaranteed due to overwhelming need.

The City of St. Augustine is asking residents to limit the use of water to relieve stress on the city’s sewer system. Residents are encouraged to reduce the amount of wastewater entering the system from all sources such as showers, toilets, washing machines, and kitchen sinks. This would include limiting the length of showers, delaying laundry use or only washing essential items, not running water while brushing teeth, shaving or rinsing dishes, and minimizing the number of toilet flushes. The city says until power is restored to all pump stations, wastewater will not be pumped causing the collection system to fill beyond capacity and wastewater may back up into your building. City crews continue to work with bypass pumps and generators to restore all pump stations to full service. For questions or additional information, contact the Public Works Department at 904.825.1040, option 6.

St. Johns County libraries and book drops will reopen on Saturday, October 1 at 10 A.M.

St. Johns County has opened four Points of Distribution for those affected by Hurricane Ian to receive water. The water will be available Saturday, October 1 and Sunday, October 2 from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. Water distribution will be limited to two cases of water per car. Water will be at the following locations:

• St. Augustine Amphitheatre, 1340C A1A S, St. Augustine
• Solomon Calhoun Community Center, 1300 Duval St., St. Augustine
• Flagler Estates Community Center, 9960 Oliver Ave., Hastings
• Al Wilke Park, 6150 South Main St., Hastings

Clay County:

Garbage, yard waste and recycling services will resume on Monday.

Clay County District Schools will resume normal school operations on Monday, October 3.

Nassau County:

Garbage, yard waste and recycling services will resume on Monday.

As of 8:30 am Friday, the evacuation order has been lifted. Officials are in the community conducting damage and safety assessments. If you have any questions, contact Emergency Management at (904) 548-0900.

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