Matthew's Wrath in Florida: Multiple Deaths Reported, More Than 1 Million Without Power

Ada Carr
Published: October 7,2016

Hurricane Matthew, in its destructive march along the Florida coast on Friday, caused widespread flooding, damage and power outages across the state. At least five people have died.
Local officials confirmed the death of a 58-year-old St. Lucie County woman who suffered cardiac arrest overnight. The woman made an emergency call at 1:20 a.m. Friday, but this came after operations were suspended because of the hurricane. The identity of the woman has not been released. Two others, a couple, died in St. Lucie County from carbon monoxide poisoning after they ran a generator inside their garage, the county said in a Facebook post.
The Orlando Sentinel reported on Friday that a Volusia County woman was killed when a tree fell on her while feeding animals. In Putnam County, a woman was killed when a tree fell onto a trailer that was occupied by two adults. A man survived, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office also announced.
(MORE: Track Hurricane Matthew)
The National Hurricane Center - in its Friday afternoon advisory - said Matthew has caused "devastation along the Northeast coast of Florida" as the storm makes its way north.
While Matthew continues to lash the state with powerful winds, rain and storm surge, hundreds of thousands are still without power.
The latest report from the Florida Division of Emergency Management said more than 1.1 million customers are without power statewide.
Bill Orlove, a spokesperson for Florida Power and Light, said in an interview with weather.com on Friday that the company brought in 15,000 crews from all over the country to aid in the storm impacts, with workers coming from as far away as Massachusetts and Texas.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has 90 officers performing search and rescue operations, and another 70 on standby, Gov. Rick Scott's office said. Also, Florida Highway Patrol has 150 troopers on public safety patrol and another 100 on standby.

As the hurricane moved just off the coast along the Florida coast, winds gusts of up to 88 miles per hour and heavy downpours were still reported across coastal communities in Florida, the National Hurricane Center said in an advisory.

Nassau County

Matthew is starting to be felt in Nassau County, and emergency officials have already put their action plan into place to prepare for any potential impacts that the hurricane may bring.
Nassau County Public Information Officer Dave Richardson told weather.com that Shave Bridge, which connects Amelia Island and the mainland, has been closed, due to the fear of rising water under the bridge that spans the Intercoastal waterway.
Richardson said there have not been any reports of injuries, but rescue and sheriff's personnel have suspended operations due to the danger of the storm.
"We started evacuations yesterday at 6 a.m, but not everyone heeded that, then we started getting phone calls to get them off of the island," Richardson said. "We won't be able to respond, anyway."
The area is just now beginning to get heavy rain but has yet to be impacted by any substantial storm surge. The maximum sustained winds felt in Nassau County topped out at 39 mph, and spot power outages have been reported.
The NOAA tidal gauge at Fernandina Beach reported a peak water level of 6.91 feet, making it the third-highest water level in the area's history.

St. Augustine

Storm surge in St. Augustine has already been circulated around social media, with scenes of high water engulfing city streets and pushing through residential areas.
On Anastasia Island, hundreds of emergency responders from multiple agencies are assisting residents who did not evacuate, News4Jax.com reports.

"There are houses that will probably not ever be the same again or not even be there," St. Augustine Mayor Nancy Shaver said in a statement obtained by News4Jax.
The Emergency Operations Center for St. Augustine could not be reached due to phone outages in St. Johns County. However, weather.com confirmed that 20 people, including children, are stuck at the Casablanca Inn on Avenida Menendez.
The owner of the bed and breakfast, who is not on the premises, told weather.com that the guests had been asked to evacuate and refused. Weather.com hasn't been able to reach the guests.

Flagler County

Officials are cutting off all access to beachside portions of the county after a section of Florida State Road A1A became inundated with high water Friday.
Flagler County Public Information Officer Julie Murphy confirmed to weather.com that portions of state road A1A were compromised south of the peer, which is positioned across the road from the historic Topaz Hotel.

Emergency workers will begin the process of entering the area to rescue those who did not leave.
"We have restricted access to the barrier island so our crews and law enforcement can get to the area to help anyone," Murphy said.
"This is not a curfew," Flagler County public safety emergency manager Steve Garten said in a release obtained by AP. "No one will be permitted to enter the barrier island. This will be enforced by the Flagler County Sheriff's Office."
Murphy said 80 percent of Flagler County residents are still without power, but Florida Power and Light is working to return service.
The county had a mandatory evacuation order in place, but Murphy said it is unclear if all residents heeded the warning.
"In the areas evacuated, there is a procedure for people to come back in, and law enforcement won’t let people come back in until assessments have been done and it’s safe - they will be turned away," Murphy said.

Jacksonville

Jacksonville was hit hard by Matthew and one utility worker was injured trying to restore power for the thousands in the area that are still in the dark.
Gerri Boyce, a spokesperson for Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA), told weather.com that the JEA employee was electrocuted while restoring service in Mandarin, in the southern part of Jacksonville.
The employee was transported to an area hospital and is in stable condition.
Jacksonville Beach residents will not be allowed to return to the area Saturday, Mayor Charlie Latham announced in a statement obtained by News4Jax.com. After surveying damages Friday night, Latham said it was not as bad as expected, but emphasized they would have to wait until daylight Saturday to get a true idea of the extent of the destruction.
Storm surge and rough waters tore off the end of the Jacksonville Beach Pier, causing ocean water to flood inland, News4Jax.com also reports. The city declared a state of emergency and ordered an evacuation for Duval County's beaches. Jacksonville Beach Fire Department officials said crews would leave the beach and seek shelter at the University of North Florida and return to the beach as soon as possible.
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry held a press conference on Friday afternoon and said three or four breaches have occurred to sea walls, and the surge is expected to flood parts of the downtown area.
Local emergency officials also said Jacksonville Beach has suffered "significant damage," flooding up through 2nd Street.
The National Weather Service said the tide gauge is measuring 4.73 feet, which is the highest its been since 1898. Parts of downtown could be as high as 3 feet.
Curry said there will be another safety briefing at 6 a.m. on Saturday, but stressed that it was too premature to say when the city's bridges could be opened up for residents to return to their homes and businesses. Also, federal bridge inspections will be conducted before they are reopened.
“Do not get a false sense of security," Curry said. "This is no time for people to be out of their homes."

Volusia County

The famed Daytona International Speedway has sustained moderate damages from the storm, officials announced Friday.
Officials told the Associated Press that lights, speakers, signage, fences, gates, awnings and palm trees were damaged. They added that the ticket office and the Richard Petty Driving Experience will be closed Saturday and Sunday during cleanup.
Officials in  the Daytona metro area continue to monitor the storm impacts and said that it is still too early to tell the overall scope of the storm's impact.

Jim Judge, emergency management director for the Volusia County Department of Public Protection, said the storm is 32 miles off shore from Daytona Beach.
"We have had quite a bit of rain, storm surge, water inundation, so it's been both a water and wind event for us," Judge said.
Judge said there are 180,000 customers in the county without power, and those numbers are expected to grow as the storm moves through. Additionally, he said there have been reports of mobile home damage, roof damage and damage to trees and power lines.
Two hospitals in Volusia County were evacuated ahead of the storm and a midnight curfew was put in place last night.
No injuries have been reported in Volusia County as of Friday afternoon. As of last night, 36,000 people had sought shelter in the locations provided.
Judge said he expects for search and rescues efforts to commence this evening once the winds subside, which could be around 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
"It’s not over, and when it is over, the danger hasn’t subsided," he said. "We are asking them to stay in the shelters, stay hunkered down until we have a chance to do damage assessment."

Port St. Lucie

Interim City Manager Patricia Roebling told weather.com that the city dodged a bullet, but is not out of the woods yet.
"The city awoke to find we were very fortunate," she said. "There is still the potential for a loop around, so we are not sure how that will play out in our future."
Roebling said preliminary assessments showed that damage is relatively light and localized. Florida Power and Light is currently is working to restore power for 41,000 in St. Lucie county.
"We are making sure we are out assessing everything, but pretty much all of our roads are open to the public," she said.
Roebling said the city plans to leave shutters up on public buildings, while leaving emergency access points open in city facilities .
"We are not going to stop taking precautionary measures," she said.

Palm Beach County

As Matthew continues to move up the Florida coast, Palm Beach County is also counting itself lucky as it assesses damage in the area caused by the hurricane.
Palm Beach County Emergency Management Director Bill Johnson told weather.com that while there is slight beach erosion in the northern part of the county, most of the beaches are still intact.
"Our parks will open later today and many of our sports facilities, pools, and nature centers will open tomorrow," Johnson said.
Johnson said apart from the beach erosion, the only other damage seen in their short assessment could be chalked up to damaged trees and stoplights, with some localized flooding.
"For a Category 4 storm that was 40 miles off our coast, we were blessed," Johnson said.

Miami

Much of south Florida was in the path of Matthew, but the city of Miami seems to have been spared the brunt of the deadly storm's power, according to city officials.
Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado told weather.com that the city was prepared for the worst but prayed for the best. As large swaths of Florida reel from the destruction brought by Matthew, Regalado said the city of Miami has already sent emergency personnel to lend aid to those in need.
"We were spared but know what our neighbors up north are going through," Regalado said. "Our special team of search and rescue of the City of Miami Fire Department has been activated by the president and they will be helping our fellow Floridians and neighbors up north.”
MORE: Hurricane Matthew