St. Johns County is preparing for major Hurricane Matthew and the impacts it will\u00a0have on the\u00a0community. The St. Johns County Emergency Operations center has activated the Citizen\u00a0Information Line. Residents with questions about Hurricane Matthew may call (904) 824-5550 for more\u00a0information.<\/p>\n
The county is anticipated to experience hurricane-force winds with Tropical Storm conditions beginning\u00a0Thursday evening and extending through Friday. Matthew\u2019s intensity and track should continue to be\u00a0closely monitored, as a westward track shift will increase local impacts. At this time, St. Johns County and\u00a0affiliated emergency response personnel are implementing the response plan for the impacts of Hurricane\u00a0Matthew. This plan includes the implementation of several key items including the Declaration of a Local\u00a0State of Emergency, closures of schools and government offices, and a timeline for local hurricane\u00a0evacuations.<\/p>\n
The following informational items are based on current knowledge of the projected path for Hurricane\u00a0Matthew and could change depending on the storm\u2019s evolution:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Local State of Emergency \u2013 In preparation for Hurricane Matthew, St. Johns County has declared\u00a0a Local State of Emergency in order to access federal and state resources. Heavy rain and winds\u00a0will begin impacting the County Wednesday and will worsen through the week.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Resident Evacuations \u2013 In response to the projected track of Hurricane Matthew, St. Johns County\u00a0plans to issue an evacuation order at 6 a.m. on Thursday, October 6 for those residents living along\u00a0coastal and waterfront areas, as well as residents living in boats, RVs, and mobile homes. Residents\u00a0should begin evacuation preparations as soon as possible. To avoid traffic congestions, residents\u00a0are encouraged to begin evacuating prior to the evacuation order. For evacuation information,\u00a0including route maps and evacuations zones, please visit the St. Johns County Emergency\u00a0Management website at www.sjcemergencymanagement.org\/evacinfo.html.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Emergency Shelters \u2013 Shelter locations will be opened in conjunction with the official evacuation\u00a0order beginning at 6 a.m. on Thursday, October 6. The following shelters will be operational at that\u00a0time:<\/p>\n
Pacetti Bay Middle School, 245 Meadowlark Lane (Special needs)<\/p>\n
Timberlin Creek Elementary School, 555 Pine Tree Lane (Pet-friendly)<\/p>\n
For more information on shelters, including addresses and accommodations, please visit\u00a0www.sjcemergencymanagement.org\/shetinfo.html.<\/p>\n
\u2022 School Closures \u2013 The St. Johns County School District has closed schools for Thursday, October\u00a06 and Friday, October 7 in response to Hurricane Matthew. An announcement with more detailed\u00a0information will be forthcoming via their mass communication system using text, phone, and email.<\/p>\n
\u2022 County Closures \u2013 With the exception of Emergency Operations, St. Johns County will close all\u00a0offices on Thursday, October 6 and Friday, October 7. County operations decisions beyond Friday\u00a0will be determined based on weather conditions.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Sandbags \u2013 Sandbag locations are up and running at the standard County distribution\u00a0locations. For a detailed list of times and locations, please visit www.sjcfl.us.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Beaches \u2013 St. Johns County beaches are closed to vehicular traffic due to heavy surf and high tides\u00a0expected from Hurricane Matthew. St. Johns County Marine Rescue is expecting dangerous Red\u00a0Flag conditions and is asking that beachgoers do not enter the water under any circumstances until\u00a0storm conditions have subsided.<\/p>\n
St. Johns County Administration and Emergency Management staff continue to carefully monitor Hurricane\u00a0Matthew and are working with a variety of local and State agencies to prepare for its impacts.<\/p>\n
For their safety and well-being, St. Johns County is asking residents to take the following precautionary\u00a0measures:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Closely monitor local weather forecasts.
\n\u2022 Know your evacuation zone and evacuation route by visiting www2.gis.bocc.co.st-johns.fl.us\/MYEZ\/.
\n\u2022 Complete and review your Disaster Plan. Make sure to include pets in your plan. Visit\u00a0www.sjcemergencymanagement.com\/ for information on what you should include in your disaster\u00a0plan.
\n\u2022 Begin preparing your home by securing and bringing in any loose items inside.
\n\u2022 Update your hurricane supply kit. For information on hurricane supply kits visit\u00a0www.sjcemergencymanagement.com.
\n\u2022 Make sure you have a five\u00a0day supply of all medications and any other medical equipment you may\u00a0need.
\n\u2022 Be prepared to evacuate if told to do so by trained emergency management personnel.<\/p>\n
Up-to-date storm response information will be posted at www.sjcfl.us, on Facebook at\u00a0www.facebook.com\/SJCFL, on Twitter at www.twitter.com\/StJohnsCounty and\u00a0https:\/\/twitter.com\/StJohnsEOC, and on Instagram at www.instagram.com\/St.JohnsCounty. For more\u00a0information on storm preparedness, including evacuation zones and shelters, please visit\u00a0www.sjcemergencymanagement.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
St. Johns County is preparing for major Hurricane Matthew and the impacts it will\u00a0have on the\u00a0community. The St. Johns County Emergency Operations center has activated the Citizen\u00a0Information Line. Residents with questions about Hurricane Matthew may call (904) 824-5550 for more\u00a0information.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1887,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2436","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-creekline-st-johns","8":"category-ponte-vedra"},"yoast_head":"\n