HANGERS WINGS WERE SNAPPED AND ONE PLANE WAS FLIPPED. UPSIDE DOWN. 180,000. PEOPLE IN SAINT
JOHNS COUNTY ARE NOW UNDER AN
EVACUATION ORDER. IT TOOK
EFFECT. WHAT?
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: YEAH, A
LITTLE MORE THAN AN HOUR AGO
AT 06:00AM. EVERYONE IN
EVACUATION ZONES A B AND PART
OF ZONE AFTER THE PORTION THAT
IS SOUTH OF COUNTY ROAD 2.14,
OR WEST KING STREET, THEY DO
NEED TO FIND SOMEWHERE SAFE TO
STAY DURING THE STORM. NEWS 4
JAX REPORTER ASHLEY HARDING.
JOINING US NOW LIVE WITH
SHERIFF ROB HARDWICK. ASHLEY,
GOOD MORNING.
>> YES, GOOD MORNING. AND I
JUST SAY THE WIND AND THE RAIN
IS REALLY PICKING UP HERE IN A
SAINT JOHNS COUNTY. AS YOU
GUYS MENTIONED, THAT SHERIFF
HARDWICK IS JOINING ME HERE
LIVE. GOOD MORNING. SURE.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. WE
APPRECIATE IT. GOOD MORNING.
AND THANK YOU FOR ACTUALLY
HAVING US ON THIS MORNING
GETTING OUT THIS INFORMATION
SO IMPORTANT TO OUR CITIZENS,
OUR VISITORS. ABSOLUTELY.
LET’S GET RIGHT TO IT. BRIDGES
ARE OPEN RIGHT NOW. WHAT GOES
INTO THE DECISION-MAKING TO
CLOSE? ARE THERE PLANS TO
CLOSE AT THIS SURE, THE
EVACUATION PROCESS IS SO
IMPORTANT TO GET AS MANY
PEOPLE.
>> OFF OF THE ISLAND, VERY
ISLANDS ISLANDS IN A AND B AS
WE CAN SO SUSTAINED WINDS OF
44 MILES OR 45 MILES PER HOUR,
BUT ALSO TO WILL SHUT THEM
DOWN HIS ANY PUBLIC SAFETY
CONCERNS OR, YOU KNOW, FIRE
RESCUE JUST CAN’T BECAUSE OF
FLOODING OR WIND. SO THERE’S
MANY VARIABLES THAT GO INTO
ACTUALLY CLOSE THE BRIDGES
DOWN. BUT WE’RE GOING TO KEEP
MOMENTS LONG AS WE CAN TO GET
AS MANY PEOPLE AS WE CAN OFF
THE BARRIER ISLANDS FOR SURE.
EVACUATION ORDER IN EFFECT
RIGHT NOW FOR PARTS OF SAINT
JOHNS COUNTY.
>> IF PEOPLE DO NOT HEED THOSE
WARNINGS AS SOMETHING HAPPENS,
THEY CALL 9-1-1. WHAT HAPPENS
FROM THERE CAN RESOURCES GET
TO SURE. SHE ACTUALLY STANDING
IN A PLACE FOR RESOURCES.
FIRST RESPONDERS COULD
ACTUALLY NO LONGER GET.
>> AND ONCE THE FLOODING IN
THE WINDS ACTUALLY GET BEYOND
ITS A SAFETY RISK FOR OUR
FIRST RESPONDERS WEAKEN THIS
THE LONGER GET USE. THAT’S WHY
WE SAY PLEASE GO AHEAD AND
HEED TO THE WARNING. IF YOU’RE
IN A AND B THE BARRIER ISLANDS
ALONG OUR 42 MILES OF BEACHES,
PLEASE GO AHEAD AND EVACUATE.
WE’RE NOT ASKING TO LEAVE. THE
STATE OF FLORIDA ARE ASKING TO
MOVE INLAND. YOU KNOW, THESE 5
MILES INTO THE CENTER OF OUR
COUNTY WHERE IT’S SAFER. BUT
AGAIN, THERE’S GOING TO COME A
TIME WHERE WE CAN NO LONGER
GET TO. THAT IS NOT FEASIBLE.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU’RE
SAFE AND PROTECTED AND YOU’RE
IN A SAFE PLACE IN YOUR
FAMILIES.
>> VERY GOOD POINT. ALSO TALK
TO US ABOUT ARE THERE ANY
PLANS TO CLOSING THE ROADS?
WHAT KUZ INTO DECISION-MAKING?
ABSOLUTE. I KATIE HATE TO KEEP
IT FROM BACK TO YOU KNOW,
MATTHEW AND IRMA AND DURING
THE COURSE. BUT, YOU KNOW, WE
KIND OF LEARNED A LOT OF
LESSONS OF THERE’S ALWAYS
FLOODING IN SAINT JOHNS WE’RE
SURROUNDED BY WATER, OF
COURSE, WITH THE OCEAN WITH
THE INTERCOASTAL WATERWAY IN
THE SAINT JOHNS RIVER. SO WITH
THAT BEING BE PREPARED FOR
ROAD CLOSURES WHERE WE JUST
CAN NO LONGER MOVE AROUND IN
SAINT JOHNS COUNTY BECAUSE OF
FLOODING. YOU’RE STANDING IN A
PLACE NOW, AS YOU KNOW, THAT
WAS FLOODED DURING NUMEROUS
STORMS IN DAVIS SHORES.
>> DOWNTOWN SAID HISTORIC CITY
TENDS TO FLOOD VERY OFTEN AS
WELL AS ALONG THE RIVER AROUND
COUNTY ROAD 13 16, A AND AS
WELL AS FLAGGERS STATES, TOO,
AS WELL. SO WHEN THOSE ROADS
BECOME TOO DANGEROUS, OF
COURSE, PUBLIC WORKS ASSISTANT
SHUTTING THOSE DOWN.
>> WHEELING ABOUT A MINUTE
LEFT. ARE YOU HAVE YOU HEARD
ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT WILL
HAPPEN WITH POWER OUTAGES? IF
THERE ARE ANY, WHAT? WHAT A A
PLAN IS IN CASE THAT HAPPENS.
SURE. THAT BEING SAID WE FPL
AJ AYER CORE STAGE, BUT THE
ENTIRE STATE OF FLORIDA IS IN
THE SAME POSITION IF NOT WORSE
THAN WHAT WE ARE. SO THAT
BEING SAID, THERE’S PLENTY OF
RESOURCES AND MUTUAL AID. I’VE
BEEN WATCHING THEM COME INTO
DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE COUNTY.
>> SO IT’S THEY’RE
UNAVAILABLE. BUT WE ASK YOU TO
BE PATIENT. YOU KNOW, COURSE,
WE PEOPLE HAVE GENERATORS AND
WAYS TO. BUT WE ASK YOU IF YOU
ACTUALLY THE SHELTERS ARE
OPEN, AS YOU KNOW, A PATIENT
IN HIS HIGH SCHOOL’S OUR
GENERAL POPULATION OF THE CITY
BAY MIDDLE SCHOOL IS OUR
SPECIAL NEEDS POPULATION. AND
SOUTH WAS ELEMENTARY IS PET
FRIENDLY, ALONG WITH GENERAL
POPULATION AS WELL. SO AGAIN,
THIS IS THE TIME TO HEED THE
WARNING. WE ASK YOU TO GET OFF
THE BARRIER ISLANDS IN A AND B
AND ON THE REVERSE SIDE TO
INCLUDE F EVERYTHING SOUTH OF
COUNTY ROAD, 2.14. SO IT MAKES
IT EASIER ON US FIRST
RESPONDERS SO WE CAN CONTINUE
TO PROVIDE SERVICES. BUT WE
WANT YOU TO BE SAFE AND WE’LL
GET THROUGH THIS STORM
TOGETHER. WE ALWAYS DO. BUT
AGAIN, HEED TO THE WARNINGS
THAT WE’RE GIVING. YOU ONLY
HAVE A COUPLE SECONDS LEFT TO
GET THAT PHONE NUMBER AT THE
USUAL KNEW ABOUT. SO WE THE
CITIZENS INFORMATION LINE TO
THE SAINT JOHNS COUNTY
EMERGENCY OPERATION CENTERS
904, A 2, 4, 5, 5, 5, 0,
AGAIN, I KNOW FOR A 2, 4, 5,
5, 5, 0. THANK YOU AGAIN.
THANK YOU. AGAIN, SHERIDAN