Monroe County Emergency Management Hurricane Irma Update

SHELTERS

The Red Cross is gathering the incoming supplies and plans to have the shelters opened later today in Coral Shores, Marathon High School, Sugarloaf High School, and Key West High School. They have cots, blankets and comfort kits.

Islamorada has opened a shelter at Island Christian School and the Fire Chief has set up 2 Salvation Army Canteen Units at Island Christian School and at the MM75 Check Point.

RE-ENTRY

Re-entry is still limited to residents and business owners in the Upper Keys, to mile marker 73 and only during non-curfew hours. Work is being done as quickly as possible to make it safe enough to open the rest of the Keys to re-entry.

Discussions are in the works to reopen the Keys as far as Marathon. A few more health safety issues have to be worked out first. Stay tuned.

The Lower Keys, the hardest hit by Hurricane Irma, is still unsafe to return. It has limited power and water and will take the longest in the Keys to return those utilities due to the damage.

Key West is making great progress on restoring services and is beginning discussions about when to reopen.

The Upper Keys situation is different. Much of the area has water, power, fuel, and open grocery stores and a pharmacy.

POWER

Keys Energy Services, which covers the South end of Seven Mile Bridge to Key West, reports that 17 percent of their clients now have service in parts of Key West, Stock Island and Key Haven.

The Florida Keys Electric Coop, which services the rest of the Keys, has restored power to about 60-65 percent of its service area.

GENERATOR SAFETY

Never use a generator, grill, camp stove or other gasoline, propane, natural gas or charcoal-burning devices inside a home, garage, or any partially enclosed area. Keep these devices outdoors, away from doors, windows and vents that could allow carbon monoxide to come indoors.

Opening doors and windows or using fans will not prevent CO buildup in the home. Although CO can’t be seen or smelled, it can rapidly lead to full incapacitation and death. Even if you cannot smell exhaust fumes, you may still be exposed to CO. If you start to feel sick, dizzy, or weak while using a generator, get to fresh air RIGHT AWAY – DO NOT DELAY.

WATER

The Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority reports it continues to make progress and their phone line has been repaired. Please call 305-296-2454 to contact them about water leaks. Stock Island and Key Haven now has water available 24/7 and Key West will have water from 10 a.m. to noon and 5 to 10 p.m. tomorrow.

But the boil water notice order is still in effect there and throughout the Keys. Water should only be used for sanitation purposes and not for washing cars, boats and houses for now. Please be considerate of your fellow Keys neighbors who still don’t have any water and need the pressure to continue.

There are three fill stations for customers. Bring your jugs, 5 gallon buckets, etc. They will be open from 8-6 daily. The locations are as follows:

Mile Marker 10 on Big Coppitt @ FKAA Pump Station Tank

Summerland Key @ Horace Street @ FKAA Pump Station Tank

Big Pine Key @ Drinka Lane across from Winn Dixie

MEDICAL SERVICES

Mariners Hospital in Tavernier officially opened today. The Lower Keys Medical Center’s Emergency Room is open and they are working to completely open the hospital in Key West.

Disaster Medical Assistance Teams have set up medical care stations at Florida Keys Community College on Stock Island and at Marathon City Hall. They are open 24/7.

SEARCH AND RESCUE

Search and rescue teams have gone door to door to nearly 15,000 homes throughout the Keys. They are about 98 percent completed. Key West and a few other areas did not need this type of search and rescue effort. Military personnel have helped law enforcement break through the debris and assist in the search. The search teams do not enter shuttered homes at this time.

We know that many people are worried about family members and friends who stayed in the Keys during Hurricane Irma and now cannot be reached due to lack of cell service, power and wifi. For information on how to find your relatives in the Keys, log onto www.safeandwell.org.

COUNTY FOOD AND WATER DISTRIBUTION POINTS

Six distribution centers for food and water will be in operation today. They are not providing ice. They are located at:

Coral Shores High School in Tavernier

Marathon High School

National Key Deer Refuge office on the Overseas Highway in Big Pine Key

Sugarloaf School

Sears Town Plaza in New Town Key West

4th Street parking lot near the soccer field in Bahama Village in Old Town Key West.

DEBRIS REMOVAL FOR RESIDENTS AND BUSINESS OWNERS

Debris will be picked up from residences and businesses in the days to come. The debris should be piled up near the road. But do not block the road or driveways. And do put debris in private lots. It will not be picked up.

You must separate into five groups:

  • vegetative debris (tree branches, leaves)
  • seaweed
  • household appliances
  • household hazardous waste, which includes paints, cleaners, etc.
  • non-vegetative debris

This needs to be kept separate from regular household trash. Contents of refrigerators should be thrown out in regular trash. This gets picked up by regular garbage collection.

In addition to household trash, things that are not eligible for pick up by debris contractor include cars, trucks, motor cycles, trailers, boats or other watercraft and car parts like tires.

In the areas that have vacuum sewers in Key Largo and Tavernier, make sure not to stack debris near sewer system breathers, which are in the right of way. In the Upper Keys they look like small concrete pillars.

Debris also should be kept away from fire hydrants and utility poles.

Collection of debris in the Upper Keys will begin soon. More detailed information about schedule will be provided.  There will be multiple passes through all neighborhoods.

DOCUMENT YOUR PROPERTY DAMAGES

As soon as you can, document all damage in your home and on your property. This can be done with photos and video. This is important for insurance and FEMA claims.

If you think your home is damaged, prior to returning to the Keys, you can download the FEMA app and start a claim now.

CURFEW

The curfew in the Upper Keys has been changed from 10 p.m. to sunrise. The dusk-to-dawn curfew will remain in place until further notice. “Any citizen out moving around at night will be stopped by law enforcement and will be sent home,” Monroe County Sheriff Office Col. Lou Caputo said.

MARINE TOWING AND SALVAGE

Sea Tow Key Largo is up and running. All vessels, salvage equipment, trucks and trailers are ready for work. If you need assistance, call: 502-645-3578 or 305-451-3330.

CELL SERVICE

AT&T and Verizon crews are working to restore service.

There is phone service available at the Emergency Operations Center in Marathon. This is a restricted space for first responders who are working around the clock to help the community recover and get resources to the people who need it.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Many citizens are going to the Islamorada fire station 20 to get information and passes. This is an active fire station that is not a location for these services. Please do not go there and interrupt emergency service response.

HOW TO GET INFORMATION

Monroe County Emergency Management has a new website dedicated solely to the Hurricane Irma Recovery Effort. It is www.keysrecovery.org.

Information also is available on Facebook (Monroe County BOCC) and Twitter (@monroecounty) with #keysrecovery

Monroe County’s Information Hotline is back on line at 1-800-955-5504.

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