TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Leon County crews fanned out Saturday to assess damage and clear roads after Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin late Friday evening and weakened overnight into a post-tropical storm moving north, away from the region.<\/p>\n
Leon County \u201cweathered the storm well,\u201d with county officials reporting limited road impacts and quick responses to downed trees overnight. Damage assessment teams were in the field Saturday documenting impacts to homes and property, while Public Works crews continued clearing roads and rechecking low-lying areas. Officials cautioned that early numbers could change as assessments continue.<\/p>\n
\u201cLeon County’s emergency response crews worked through the night to clear roads, monitor flooding and keep the community informed,\u201d Leon County Commission Chairman Christian Caban said. \u201cWe could not have done it without the preparedness of our residents. Thank you for heeding the travel advisory and staying off the roads, which gave our crews room to work and helps speed our recovery. We encourage everyone to continue reporting damage and checking on neighbors as our community returns to normal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Residents can report storm damage using the Property Damage Assessment Form at LeonCountyFL.gov\/ei.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough the greatest impacts of the storm remained west of our region, Leon County staff remained vigilant, monitoring conditions and responding quickly and efficiently to reported damage,\u201d Leon County Administrator Vincent S. Long said. \u201cOur community’s preparedness played an important role in helping residents navigate the storm safely. As recovery efforts continue, we encourage residents to remain vigilant and take advantage of the post-storm resources and information available to them.\u201d<\/p>\n
County officials said key response efforts included distributing more than 20,000 sandbags at county sandbag sites, conducting more than 40 tree cut-and-toss operations overnight to clear roadways, and answering more than 200 calls through the Citizens Information Line.<\/p>\n
Storm conditions and forecasts<\/p>\n
Isaias made landfall near Destin at about 9:30 p.m. Friday as a Category 2 hurricane with 105 mph winds, officials said. The storm weakened overnight and was moving north, away from the region as a post-tropical storm.<\/p>\n
All hurricane, tropical storm and storm surge warnings were canceled, and Leon County was no longer under a Flash Flood Warning or a Tornado Watch. A Flood Warning remained in effect for Leon County and surrounding areas through Monday.<\/p>\n
Through late Friday evening, the National Weather Service reported a peak gust of 52 mph at Tallahassee International Airport, about 4 inches of rain in six hours in Killearn and about 3 inches elsewhere in the county. No Tornado Warnings were issued for Leon County.<\/p>\n
The National Weather Service expected another 1 to 1.5 inches of rain in Tallahassee Saturday. Gusts of 25 to 30 mph could bring down trees and limbs weakened overnight, and scattered storms with damaging wind gusts and a couple of tornadoes were possible across parts of southwest Georgia and the Big Bend into the evening. Dry weather was expected Sunday through Friday, with highs in the mid-80s to near 90.<\/p>\n
Emergency declarations and recovery coordination<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump approved Florida\u2019s request for federal emergency assistance for 27 counties, including Leon County. The declaration authorizes FEMA to provide direct federal assistance for emergency protective measures.<\/p>\n
Leon County\u2019s local state of emergency took effect at 5 p.m. Thursday and remains in effect through 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, unless extended. Officials said it aligns with Gov. Ron DeSantis\u2019 Executive Order 26-202, as amended by Executive Order 26-211, covering 27 Florida counties, including Leon County.<\/p>\n
The county\u2019s Emergency Operations Center remained activated to coordinate recovery with state, local and nonprofit partners. Based on initial reports, officials said a post-storm host shelter was not needed at that time, but the county would continue coordinating with the state and the American Red Cross if needs change.<\/p>\n
The Florida Department of Health in Leon County was expected to follow up with residents in areas that commonly flood and check community and private wells with known issues. Residents with well questions can call 850-895-8360.<\/p>\n
County services and event updates<\/p>\n
Leon County said services and facilities were reopening on a phased schedule. Libraries and Rural Waste Service Centers reopened on their normal hours Saturday, Oct. 10. Community centers and campground reservations were set to resume Sunday, Oct. 11, and all county offices and outdoor activities were scheduled to resume normal hours Monday, Oct. 12.<\/p>\n
Officials said Saturday\u2019s cross country meet at Apalachee Regional Park and the Jubilee Music Festival at The Adderley Amphitheater were canceled. Saturday\u2019s Volunteer Fire Truck Round Up was rescheduled to Saturday, Nov. 14, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Tom Brown Park.<\/p>\n
Safety reminders and how to get help<\/p>\n
Officials urged residents to avoid driving or walking into flood water and noted that more than half of all flood-related drownings happen when a vehicle is driven into flood water. They also warned that 12 inches of rushing water can carry away most cars. Residents were advised to avoid skin contact with flood water, keep children and pets away from fast-moving water in ditches and storm drains, use generators only outdoors at least 20 feet from the home, and pace cleanup efforts in the heat.<\/p>\n
Power outages can be reported to City of Tallahassee Utilities at Talgov.com\/Outages or through the DigiTally app, or to Talquin Electric.<\/p>\n
Residents can call the Leon County Citizens Information Line at 850-606-3700 with storm-related questions. Additional updates are available at LeonReady.com and LeonCountyFL.gov\/ei, including road closures and emergency information. Lifeline Connection (formerly 2-1-1 Big Bend) can be reached by dialing 2-1-1 or calling 850-617-6333.<\/p>\n
The Florida Department of Financial Services\u2019 Insurance Consumer Helpline is available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1-877-MY-FL-CFO (693-5236). Price gouging complaints can be reported at 1-866-966-7226.<\/p>\n
County officials also encouraged residents, once settled, to check on neighbors by phone, especially older adults and people who live alone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Leon County crews fanned out Saturday to assess damage and clear roads after Hurricane Isaias…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":425650,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[232,234,233],"class_list":["post-425649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tallahassee","tag-tallahassee","tag-tallahassee-headlines","tag-tallahassee-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425649","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=425649"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425649\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/425650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=425649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=425649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=425649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}