Governor Rick Scott has been in constant communication with local officials and emergency management in Jackson County. The following information has been reported to the State Emergency Response Team and includes specific actions the state has taken to aid the residents of Jackson County impacted by Hurricane Michael.
FEMA Individual Assistance and Public Assistance was approved October 12. Federal re-employment assistance is also now available for individuals in Jackson County.
FOOD AND WATER
- There are four points of distribution in Jackson County that are either open or opening:
- 3172 Main Street, Cottondale
- 3018 Hwy 71 North, Marianna
- 2562 Park Road, Alford, FL 32420
- 2010 Legion Rd., Sneads, FL 32460
- There are two Salvation Army Kitchens/Canteens open in Jackson County:
- 4445 Lafayette St, Marianna, FL 32446
- 4534 Lafayette St, Marianna, FL 3244
FUEL
- There are two fueling stations set up for first responders and utility crews to rapidly refuel so they can continue working.
COMMUNICATIONS
- Currently, 86.75 percent of cellular service coverage has been restored in Jackson County. This does not include mobile cellular assets augmenting the network.
POWER RESTORATION
- 9 push crews are working with utility crews to expedite the restoration of utilities in Jackson County.
- Current power outage as of noon is 21,740.
- 38 generators have been deployed to Jackson County. Additional generators will be made available upon request.
SHELTERS
- Currently one shelter is open in Jackson County at Marianna High School 3546 Caverns Rd., Gymnasium, Marianna, FL 32446.
- Visit floridadisaster.org/shelter-status to find information on shelters in your area. This site is being updated as shelters open throughout the day.
MILITARY SUPPORT
- There are currently 121 National Guard troops deployed to Jackson County. National Guard troops are assisting with conducting reconnaissance, search and rescue and road clearance missions. Of those soldiers, 28 are staffing points of distribution for food and water.
- The Florida National Guard is also providing communications support packages to Jackson County.
LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Currently, 128 law enforcement officers have been deployed to Jackson County.
- FWC officers continue performing search and rescue, welfare checks, reconnaissance, public safety missions and debris removal assistance in Jackson County.
- FWC officers continue welfare checks and humanitarian efforts in Jackson County, passing out water and food and clearing access points so that residents can access and leave their houses or neighborhoods. They coordinate with EMS when necessary.
- FWC conducted a reconnaissance flight for three FEMA search and rescue team members to evaluate how far damage was from where the eye of the storm went through Jackson County. They checked on homes as well as the Marianna Airport, Marianna Federal Penitentiary and Florida State Hospital.
- FWC officers also assisted with clearing main highways from tree debris and power poles in Jackson County.
- The Florida Highway Patrol’s chainsaw strike teams have assisted residents throughout Jackson County in clearing roadways and freeing driveways of large trees.
- The Florida Highway Patrol has deployed an MRAP (high clearance recovery vehicle) to perform search and rescue missions and clear roadways throughout Jackson County.
TRANSPORTATION & PUBLIC WORKS
- All state roads in Jackson County are open.
- FDOT has completed all state bridge inspections in Jackson County.
SAFETY & SECURITY
- 319 urban search and rescue personnel continue to conduct searches in Jackson County.
PUBLIC HEALTH AND MEDICAL
- The Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) is in contact with healthcare facilities to ensure they have the resources they need.
- Assisted living facility, Chipola Health and Rehabilitation Center has been completely evacuated and remains closed.
- Jackson Hospital in Marianna has reopened and has power.
- Facilities report their evacuation status to the Agency through the Emergency Status System. An updated evacuation report can be found on the AHCA twitter page: twitter.com/AHCA_FL
- 10 ambulances have been deployed to Bay County.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
- An online tool for the public to report the location of storm debris in waterways has been deployed. 443 reports of debris have been received.
- DEP has completed seven mission requests, and is assisting with an additional five, submitted through Florida’s Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network (FlaWARN) in Jackson County.
- Hazardous Area Response Teams (HART) have completed assessments at all high priority hazardous waste facilities in Jackson County.
- 235 Disaster Debris Management Sites have been pre-authorized for the counties addressed by the Governor’s Executive Order, with three in Jackson County.
- DEP has deployed wastewater, drinking water and solid waste technical experts to Jackson County to ensure their needs are met.
BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY
- Governor Rick Scott announced that Florida has been awarded federal National Dislocated Worker Grants to provide temporary employment to Floridians affected by Hurricane Michael. This program is administered by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) and provides disaster relief employment in the form of temporary jobs that support storm response and recovery efforts.
- The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) has launched the Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program to provide short-term, interest-free loans to affects businesses at floridadisasterloan.org.
- The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity is working with CareerSource North Florida and CareerSource Northeast Florida to send mobile units, along with staff and resources, including water, gas, generators, flashlights and satellite phones to allow CareerSource partners in the Panhandle to begin assisting jobseekers and businesses as a part of the recovery efforts.
- Disaster cleanup and other related job openings are now available at disasterrecovery.employflorida.com for businesses to post job openings and for individuals to find job opportunities.
- DEO has opened the Business Damage Assessment Survey for businesses impacted by Hurricane Michael. Businesses with damage should complete the survey at floridadisaster.biz/BusinessDamageAssessments.
- Businesses can also visit FloridaDisaster.biz to view tips for assessing storm damage and to register to receive updates on storm recovery.
EDUCATION
- The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) is in contact with school districts, state colleges and universities for updates and to determine their needs and provide assistance.
- The Department is supporting Jackson County’s special needs shelter operations at Marianna High School.
- The Department is coordinating with the utility companies that power Jackson County to prioritize schools and Chipola College for power restoration.
- Jackson County schools will be closed until further notice.
- Chipola College, which serves Jackson County, is closed through Friday, October 19.
- The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation office in Jackson County is closed until further notice, and clients are being directed to open locations for services.
- FDOE will be posting up-to-date information regarding closures and meeting cancellations at fldoe.org/hurricaneinfo.
VOLUNTEER EFFORTS
- Today, Governor Scott announced, in partnership with FEMA and the US Army Corps of Engineers, the launch of Operation Blue Roof, which temporarily repairs roofs at no cost to families. Operation Blue Roof is available in Jackson County.
- Volunteer Florida’s partners with Florida Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD) are assisting with sheltering, feeding and tarping in Jackson County. The Church of Latter Day Saints and Florida Baptist Disaster Relief are installing tarps and handling chainsaw operations.
- At Governor Scott’s direction, Volunteer Florida has activated the Florida Disaster Fund, the State of Florida’s official private fund established to assist Florida’s communities as they respond to and recover during times of emergency or disaster. In partnership with the public sector, private sector and other non-governmental organizations, the Florida Disaster Fund supports response and recovery activities. To donate, visit, volunteerflorida.org/donatefdf.
STATE EMERGENCY OPERATION CENTER/ CONTACTS
- The State Emergency Operations Center remains activated at a level one, which is a full-scale, 24-hours-a-day activation.
- The State Assistance Information Line (SAIL) contact number is 1-800-342-3557.
- The State Emergency Operations Center Media Line: 850-921-0217.
- Follow @FLSert or @FLGovScott on Twitter for live updates on Hurricane Michael.
- Visit floridadisaster.org/info to find information on shelters, road closures, and evacuation routes.
