- April 19, 2024
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Volusia County announced in their 3 p.m. press conference Friday Sept. 20 that shelters in Volusia County will remain open for one more night before closing Saturday Oct. 1.
Kevin Captain, Volusia County Community Information director, said the shelters currently open had almost 400 people as of 9 a.m. Friday morning. Those residents who are unable to return home Saturday morning will be transferred to the Ocean Center shelter in Daytona Beach; the Ocean Center will open at 10 a.m. and accept all residents.
Emergency Management Director Jim Judge said that the Ocean Center will be the main evacuation point and shelter location in Volusia County once it is opened. Judge said they'd been working with the American Red Cross, who will be there to help staff feed and look after residents still in need of shelter.
"We have to get out of the schools so they can open back up for next week," Judge said.
Dr. Earl Johnson Jr., chief operating officer at Volusia County School District, said that staff is surveying school sites and road acceessibility.
"We are assessing schools' power, structural damage, debris in the roadway and on our campuses," Johnson said. "We want to make sure we are going to open schools safely for our paremts, students and staff."
For updates, Johnson said to visit Volusia County School's website, vcsedu.org
Power Outages being resolved
Captain said the county is working diligently with utility companies to return power to residents. Already, the number of Volusia residents without power has gone down from 250,000 on Thursday, Captain said, to about 184,000 Friday. Those without power are asked to be cautious about what food they ingest from their fridges.
The Volusia County Emergency Management has posted a link on their Facebook page on handling food and water safely during power outages and floods.
Debris and hazards are still a concern
Tammy Malphurs, deputy chief of Volusia County Beach Safety and Ocean Rescue, urged residents to stay off the beach, regardless of the nice weather.
"Beach conditions remain incredibly hazardous," Malphurs said. "The double red flags are currently flying and we expect ot fly them for the next few days."
Malphurs said not only are the waves a hazard, but the ocean and shores may have debris that could cause "bodily harm," and many sea walls and sea dunes have been damaged by the storm.
Captain also reminded residents that to remain cautious and try to remain in their homes, even with the curfews lifted. Many roads remain underwater, Captain said, and are littered with abandoned vehicles and debris. There is no start date for debris removal at this time.
Residents are also reminded to separate debris, with vegetation in one, demolition debris in another. Volusia County will not pick up debris that isn't appropriately separated, Captain said.
"It's going to take a lot of people to restore our beautiful community," Captain said.
Volunteers who would like to lend a hand in the recovery are asked to register on the United Way of Volusia and Flagler Counties website, uwvfc.org or by calling the county's Citizens Information Center at 386-345-0345.
