Racquel Goldman
Story 2
Storm surge, flooding, and power outages are expected by Thursday, when the
worst of Hurricane Bill closes in on Palm Beach County.
The County has declared a local state of emergency. The hurricane, which could bring
winds up to 120 mph, expected to make landfall Thursday at 10 a.m.
Tropical storm forced winds will start at midnight tonight off the South East coast. Up to
6-10 inches of rain are expected. However, 18 inches could fall along with isolated
tornadoes. Full evacuation is in order because of the expected devastation.
The hurricane is moving at 10 mph, but its winds could potentially be felt up to 65 miles
from the center of the storm. The storm’s eye is expected to pass right over Palm Beach
County.
Rob Shelt, Assistant Operations Manager of the Palm Beach County Division of
Emergency Management, said, “All focus is on activation and operation of shelters.”
Homes are being evacuated and shelters have opened as of 2 pm today. The shelters
opened also include the special care unit. All service animals are welcome to any of the
shelters; other pet friendly shelters can be located online at pbcgov.com/dem.
Evacuate locally to a friend’s house or relatives house that is not located in the
evacuation area. A hotel that is fully prepared for the hurricanes arrival is also acceptable.
Make sure to bring medication that will last up to 3-5 days along with bedding, clothes,
dietary supplements, and identification.
A countywide curfew has been put into place. Barrier Island’s curfew is from 11 p.m.
through 6 a.m. Mainland’s curfew is 12 a.m. through 6 a.m. It is highly recommended
that these two places evacuate because of their location. Bridge Lockdown will be put
into place as of 6pm today.
Rob Shelt said, “at this point shutters should be up and patio furniture should be secured
and away.” Anything that could pose as a threat should be cleared.
Florida Power and Light mentioned that debris should be cleared in the event that power
lines need to be repaired. Also keep debris away from transformers.
FPL has already recruited 2,500 out of state volunteers. Workers will continue to fix
down lines until 35mph winds or flooding. Outages should be expected to last at least
three weeks depending on the damage. Full power failure will occur if Hurricane Bill’s
winds top 150 mph.
John Jamason, Deputy Public Information Officer said, “All information is accurate as of
1 p.m. today.” The Emergency Operations Center is always running despite other
closures.
Palm Beach State College along with all Palm Beach County Public Schools has
cancelled class until further notice. The Port of Palm Beach County has closed inbound
and outbound traffic. Garbage pickup has been cancelled and it is asked that no garbage
is to be put out until the next scheduled day.