Property damage assessments from Tropical Storm Debby continue in Wakulla County where the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management is spearheading efforts to be ready when federal disaster assistance becomes available.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Damage Assessment Team officials are expected to be in Wakulla County Saturday, June 30 to begin the inspection process to determine if county residents can expect federal assistance.

There hasn’t been any FEMA staff in the county prior to June 30 and residents should be aware of potential scams where individuals may pose as FEMA representatives. Law enforcement patrols are monitoring signs of scams in the community.

The damage assessment statistics include 387 homes that have been affected by the tropical storm. Of the grand total, 45 homes have been destroyed, 36 have received major damage, 26 received minor damage and 280 were affected in some way. The total damage estimate has increased to $8 million. The assessment crews still have not reached sections of the upper St. Marks River area and locations in Sopchoppy where the flood waters remain too high.

WCSO Emergency Management has concerns about high heat indexes during the weekend and reminds everyone to stay well hydrated and watch for signs of heat exhaustion.

Any Wakulla County residents who still have unmet needs are asked to contact the WCSO at 745-7100. A number of non-profit organizations are working to coordinate response to those individuals in need. The agencies include the Red Cross, Goodwill Industries, Second Harvest, Salvation Army and many more. The Ochlockonee Bay United Methodist Church will host a food pantry for those in need on June 30.

The Sopchoppy River continues to slowly drop but it is still in the major flood stage classification. The St. Marks River has fallen into the minor flood stage category after topping out in the moderate flood stage classification. Old Magnolia Road is now accessible.

WCSO, Red Cross and Salvation Army staff have been feeding and getting water to residents in Sopchoppy who have been hard hit by the storm.
The Wakulla County Health Department is preparing to spray the St. Marks Rise area and public gathering areas such as the parks for mosquitoes.

Emergency officials ask residents who are boating on the Sopchoppy River to be considerate of those with damaged homes and property and don’t create a wake on the waters. WCSO officials recommend boaters stay off the river.

Progress Energy has approximately 190 customers without power due to their location and safety issues with restoring electricity. Five people stayed at the Crawfordville Elementary School shelter last night.

Individuals who would like to help victims of Tropical Storm Debby are invited to contact agencies such as the Red Cross, Second Harvest, Salvation Army, Goodwill and Florida Baptists Disaster Relief to earmark assistance for Wakulla County.

The water recession appears to be occurring at a very slow rate and will take several more days to reach a point where some homeowners and relief workers can access many homes, particularly in the Sopchoppy area. 

Current road closures and impacts due to flooding, damage, and/or bridge damage:
 
- Smith Creek Rd @Syfrette Creek Bridge (bridge approach issues)
- Harms Road
- Whiddon Lake Road @ Jump Creek
- JK Moore Road @ end of pavement
- Donaldson Williams Road
- Surf Road @ Buckhorn Creek (road damage)
- Bostic Pelt Road
- Edgar Poole Road near Jack Crum Rd
- Lonesome Road
- Fairway Drive
- Decatur Street
- Otter Lake Road at Westview Street
- U.S. Highway 98 near Wildwood Country Club remains OPEN with water on the highway. The water seems to be going down.

- Combined Federal/State preliminary damage assessment teams are schedule to begin assessments on Saturday. These teams will be assessing damages in both government and citizen categories to determine the county’s eligibility for federal disaster aid. The county is confident that minimum thresholds for both categories will be met.  Wakulla County strongly feels that federal disaster aid is needed for its citizens.

- AS OF 8:00AM, 6/29/2012, a federal disaster declaration has NOT been issued.

- There are several locations with major infrastructure damage and will likely remain closed for a longer period of time: Surf Road at Buckhorn Creek, Smith Creek Road at Syfrette Creek, Harms Road, Harvey Mill at Lawhon, Bostic Pelt Road at Lost Creek Culvert, and potentially both bridges over the Sopchoppy River (Smith Creek Road and Rose Road). 

- Residents are encouraged to contact the Wakulla County Emergency Management to report damages, regardless if they require assistance.  This information will be utilized in directing Federal, State, and non-profit agencies to the right neighborhoods. This is NOT an application process for financial assistance.  Callers will still need to register for assistance with respective agencies when services become available.

- There are clear unmet human service needs. Numerous residents have called requesting assistance with muck out (removal of flooded carpeting, drywall, etc) and debris removal from private property.  Several callers are also requesting financial assistance and clothing.  Representatives from Volunteer Wakulla, the Big Bend Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD), and Samaritans Purse will be meeting today to formulate a plan of action.
Agency-specific Actions:

A. Wakulla County Administration:
 Emergency Declaration remains in effect and will likely be extended.
 Assisting with damage assessment.

B. Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office, Division of Emergency Management:
 Distribution of state-provided bottled water and shelf-stable means.
 Assessing damage countywide.
 EOC operations.
 Developing human services objectives.

C. Wakulla Public Works Office:
 Tree removal, road repairs, and sinkhole stabilization on public property.

D. Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office:
 Maintaining traffic control points.

E. Wakulla County Department of Health:
 Monitoring special medical needs clients.
 Monitoring environmental health needs (well-water quality, septic systems, and mosquitoes).

F. Florida Highway Patrol
 Maintaining traffic control points on state roadways.

G. American Red Cross
 Managing Shelter Operations at Crawfordville Elementary.
 4 ERVs from Mississippi began distribution on 6/28: cleanup kits, comfort kits, bug spray, tarps, bottled water, and shelf stable meal kits.
 Damage assessment teams out today.
 Outreach (casework) on an urgent-need basis only, for now.

H. Salvation Army
 Fixed feeding operations: Lunch and Dinner (Noon – 8PM) at Panacea Plaza Parking Lot and Sopchoppy City Hall.
 750 meals, 2376 drinks, 630 snacks in Sopchoppy on Thursday.
 100 blankets, 750 bibles, 270 clean up kits, 60 bags of pet food.

I. Florida Department of Transportation
 Monitoring state road conditions.
 Standing by to conduct structural inspections on two bridges over the Sopchoppy River (Smith Creek Road, CR-22) once water recedes.
 Standing by to develop a temporary bridge plan for Sopchoppy should inspections deem aforementioned bridges damaged.

J. Progress Energy
 Current Outages: 198
 Crews conducting repairs where possible. Some flooded properties cannot be repaired until water recedes.

K. Florida State University
 Emergency Manager assisting with EOC operations.

L. Volunteer Wakulla
 Managing volunteers and donations.
 Coordinating Big Bend COAD member activities.