Volusia County Tropical Storm Nicole update 7: Last-minute safety information

Ormond Beach Observer
News

Tropical Storm Nicole, which is anticipated to be classified as a hurricane later today, is nearing the Florida peninsula, expecting to make landfall later this evening. Now is the time to make any final preparations and review pre-storm safety.

If you haven’t already done so, take a final look around your property. Be sure to secure items such as furniture, tools, flowerpots, wind chimes and yard debris. These items could become airborne in high winds and cause damage or injury.

Volusia County is already feeling the impacts as the storm approaches Florida’s east coast. Maximum impacts will be felt from 10 p.m. tonight, Nov. 9, through noon tomorrow Nov. 10.

Threat of tornado activity

Volusia County is under a hurricane warning for the coastal areas and a tropical storm warning inland. There will be a potential risk for tornado activity during the storm. It’s important for everyone to identify a safe room in their home where they can go during a tornado. This should be an interior room with no windows. Also, be sure to keep your weather radio on and take it to your safe room with you.

Mandatory evacuation

As a reminder, Volusia County has issued a mandatory evacuation order beginning at 10 a.m. today, Nov. 9, for all residences and businesses that are:

East of the Intracoastal Waterway
All manufactured and mobile home dwellers east of Interstate 95
All low-lying areas and other areas prone to flooding
All campsites and RV recreational parks

Evacuees are encouraged to stay with family, friends or an inland hotel and must complete their evacuation by 4 p.m. today, Nov. 9, because conditions will begin to deteriorate significantly.

Countywide curfew

A countywide curfew is in effect beginning 7 p.m. today, Nov. 9, through 7 a.m. tomorrow, Nov. 10.

Avoid unnecessary driving

Except for evacuations, residents are advised to shelter in place and stay off the roads until notified that it’s safe to go out. Standing water, downed trees and other debris could make roads dangerous and impassible. Not only that, but at some point during the storm, emergency crews may not be able to respond to calls.

Traffic signals

Some traffic signals may not be operating. If you approach an intersection that is not operable, you must treat it as a four-way stop.

Downed power lines and outages
If you see a downed line, assume that it’s electrified and don’t touch it or go near it. Report it to your power company as well as the Citizens Information Center at 866-345-0345.

To report power outages or downed power lines, contact your electric provider:

FPL: fpl.com, 800-468-8243
Duke Energy: duke-energy.com, 800-228-8485
New Smyrna Beach Utilities: nsbufl.com, 386-427-1366
Clay Electric: clayelectric.com, 888-434-9844

Food safety for power outages

According to the Centers for Disease Control, refrigerated or frozen foods may not be safe to eat after the loss of power.

Follow these tips during the power outage:

Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed.
- If the doors stay closed, food will stay safe for up to four hours in a refrigerator, 48 hours in a full freezer or 24 hours in a half-full freezer.
If the power has been out for four hours and a cooler and ice are available, put refrigerated perishable foods in the cooler. To keep them at 40 degrees or below, add ice or a cold source like frozen gel packs.

Follow these tips after power is restored:

Never taste food to determine if it is safe to eat. When in doubt, throw it out.
Throw out perishable food in your refrigerator (meat, fish, cut fruits and vegetables, eggs, milk and leftovers) after four hours without power or a cold source like dry ice. Throw out any food with an unusual odor, color or texture.
Check temperatures of food kept in coolers or your refrigerator with an added cold source. Throw out food above 40 degrees.
If you have an appliance thermometer in your freezer, check to see if it is still at 40 degrees or below.
You can safely refreeze or cook thawed frozen food that still contains ice crystals or is at 40 degrees or below.

Generator safety

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an invisible, odorless, tasteless gas and is highly poisonous. Depending on the level of exposure, CO may cause fatigue, weakness, chest pains for those with heart disease, shortness of breath upon exertion, nausea, vomiting, headaches, confusion, lack of coordination, impaired vision, loss of consciousness, and in severe cases, death.

If you lose power and plan to use a generator, follow these safety tips:

Placement is key. Never use generators indoors or outside near windows, vents or air intakes that could allow carbon monoxide to come indoors. This can be fatal.
Use proper care. Proper ventilation is critical to reducing the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator’s engine exhaust. CO poisoning is a common, serious danger that can cause death if generators are used improperly; this is particularly true when the fuel is not burned completely.
Keep other items clear. Maintain plenty of air flow space around the generator.
Pay attention. Get fresh air immediately if you begin to feel sick, dizzy or light-headed or experience flu-like symptoms.
Buy a CO detector. Because CO is invisible and odorless, buy a CO detector (similar to or sometimes combined in a smoke detector) to warn of rising CO levels.
Ground your generator. Carefully follow all instructions on properly “grounding” the generator.
Keep the generator dry. Short circuits may occur in wet conditions, which can cause a generator fire. If needed, place the generator under an open canopy-type structure.
Be prepared. Always keep a fully charged fire extinguisher nearby.
Leave it to the professionals. To avoid electric shock or electrocution, do not try to fix or otherwise work on a generator.
Organize your cords. Keep cords out of the way to avoid injury but keep them in plain view to keep track of cord damage (such as fraying or cuts) that could cause a fire.
Never back-feed power. Do not plug the generator into a wall outlet. Back feeding will put you and others, including utility line workers, at serious risk because the utility transformer can increase low voltage from the generator to thousands of volts.
Don’t touch. It’s hot. The exterior portions of a generator, even if operated for only a short period of time, can become hot. Avoid touching the generator without protective gear and keep debris clear to avoid a fire.
Shut off your generator and allow it to cool for 10 minutes before refueling. Extremely hot exhaust can lead to the unsafe ignition of spilled gas or concentrated vapors.

Hotel accommodations

Evacuees seeking accommodations on the mainland side of Volusia County can visit the following link: https://www.daytonabeach.com/places-to-stay/hotels/near-daytona-international-speedway/. In addition, Visit Florida has activated the Emergency Accommodations Module on Expedia.com to provide real-time hotel and lodging availability for impacted Floridians and visitors.

Closures

Volusia County offices and libraries will be closed Thursday and Friday. Additionally, the following offices and services will be closed Thursday and Friday: Florida Department of Health in Volusia County, Property Appraiser’s Office, Tax Collector’s Office and court facilities.

Daytona Beach International Airport will close at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, due to Tropical Storm Nicole. All flights after this time are canceled, with the exception of government, emergency and humanitarian aircraft. The airport is scheduled to reopen at 4 a.m. Friday, Nov. 11. Passengers should check with their airlines for updates to flight schedules.