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Teresa

SoWal Guide
Staff member
Nov 15, 2004
30,250
9,279
South Walton, FL
sowal.com
Contact:
Megan R. Harrison
President and CEO
Walton Area Chamber of Commerce
850-267-0683
ceo@waltonareachamber.com

Road Closures – Governmental Offices and Schools – Power Outages – Volunteers and Donation Sites

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Walton County, Fla. October 11, 2018 – Hurricane Michael made landfall in the Florida Panhandle Wednesday afternoon. Walton County Emergency Management Operations Center has led response efforts since activation on Monday, October 8. The Walton Area Chamber of Commerce has staffed Emergency Support Function (ESF 18): Business & Industry post during the Emergency Operations Center activation. As neighbors and friends, we are prepared to offer support to those who need it. Our thoughts and prayers are with our sister counties to the east of Walton County.

The following information is the most recent available regarding road closures, governmental office and school, power outages, volunteering, donations and drop off sites.

ROAD CLOSURES

The Clyde B. Wells (Hwy 331) Bridge is open and there are no curfews for Walton County.

Florida Highway Patrol has closed sections of I-10 for debris clean up. Eastbound lanes are closed from mile marker 85 in DeFuniak Springs to mile marker 160 past Sneads, FL. Westbound lanes are closed from mile marker 123 just east of Chipley to mile marker 160 just east of Sneads.

To see a full list of Walton County road closures, visit.

GOVERNMENTAL OFFICES

All government and county offices will be closed on Friday, October 12th. Walton County Schools will be closed Friday, October 12thand re-open Tuesday, October 16.

POWER OUTAGES

Power companies like Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative, Inc. and Gulf Power Company are working diligently to restore power. However, Walton and surrounding counties are still experiencing power outages. At this time, Gulf Power has 2,146 power outages in Walton County. CHELCO has 14,000 power outages.

If you see power lines down or road blockages in Walton County please report it to Walton County Sheriff's Office at (850) 892-8111. For motorists on the roadways, treat every intersection with a non-working traffic light as a four-way stop.

VOLUNTEERING

If you would like to volunteer with Michael’s recovery efforts, please visit https://www.volunteerflorida.org/ and fill out the volunteer form Hurricane Michael Volunteer Database Registration Survey .

You can also call Volunteer Florida at 1-800-FLHELP1 (354-3571).

Please know that teams are still working to assess damage in the areas affected the greatest by Hurricane Michael. We ask that you be patient in waiting for responses for how you may be able to help.

DONATIONS AND DROP OFF SITES

We would like to urge our citizens to keep their hurricane supplies. Below is a list of items needed:


  • Cash is the best donation at this time
    • Florida Disaster Fund: The Florida Disaster Fund is the State of Florida’s official private fund established to assist Florida’s communities as they respond to and recover during times of emergency or disaster. In partnership with the public sector, private sector and other non-governmental organizations, the Florida Disaster Fund supports response and recovery activities.
      • To make a one time donation of $10, text the word DISASTER to 20222 and a one-time donation of $10.00 will be added to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your prepaid balance.
      • To make a one time donation of $25, text the word DISASTER25 to 20222 and a one-time donation of $25.00 will be added to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your prepaid balance.
  • Batteries
  • Cleaning Supplies
  • Paper Goods
  • Hygiene items and Toiletries (diapers, wipes, pads, tampons, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, etc.)
Walton County has three official drops off sites that are partnering together to collect donations.

If you would like to donate hurricane relief items please drop them off during normal business hours at one of the following locations:
  • DeFuniak Springs: Southern Choice Properties (917 US HWY 331 S, DeFuniak Springs, FL 32435), M-F 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
  • DeFuniak Springs: Matrix COC (37 State Highway 83), M-F 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Sat 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
  • Santa Rosa Beach: Walton Area Chamber Office (63 S. Centre Trail Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459), M-F 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
The Salvation Army will be assisting with the collection and transportation efforts at these official drop off locations.

If your business has resources available that you would like to share, please email esf18@co.walton.fl.us and we will distribute the information appropriately.
 

Kurt

Admin
Staff member
Oct 15, 2004
2,233
4,925
SoWal
mooncreek.com
FEMA ASSISTANCE

To apply for FEMA assistance visit: www.disasterassistance.gov or call 1-800-621-FEMA (1-800-621-3362) TTY: 1-800-462-7585. To find the nearest FEMA Disaster Recovery Center visit: https://egateway.fema.gov/ESF6/ DRCLocator

EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE

If you need emergency help call 9-1-1.

BASIC SUPPLIES

If you need supplies, such as food, water, or ice, please contact your county emergency management at: http://www.floridadisaste r.org/fl_county_em.asp or by phone at (850) 815-4001 for the location of the nearest distribution center. Your county emergency management can provide up-to-date information about shelters and local distribution centers for food and supplies.

HELP FOR SENIORS

If you know of a senior who needs assistance call the Florida Department of Elder Affairs hotline at 1-800-96-ELDER (1-800-963-5337). To report elder abuse, call 1-800-96-ABUSE (1-800-962-2873).

HELP FOR VETERANS

Veterans in need of assistance or in need of their medication can contact the Veteran Disaster Hotline at 1-800-507-4571 or go to any VA medical facility for assistance.

MENTAL HEALTH

If you or someone you know is experiencing emotional distress please call the Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 to connect with a trained counselor. You may also visit: http://bit.ly/2vH2Huc for more information about managing stress after a disaster and talking with children about traumatic events.

DIALYSIS

To find a dialysis center in your area visit: http://www.dialysisunits.com/. Patients of DaVita Dialysis may contact 1-800-400-8331 to find the nearest Dialysis Center.

MORTGAGE RELIEF

To find out if you qualify for temporary mortgage relief, visit the Freddie Mac website at: http://www.freddiem ac.com/about/hurricane-relief.html , the Fannie Mae website at: http://www .fanniemae.com/portal/about-fm/hurricane-relief.html or by phone at 1-800-2FANNIE (800-232-6643). To contact the Federal Housing Finance Agency visit: https://www.fhfa.gov/Homeownersbuyer/MortgageA ssist ance/ Pages /Disa ster-Assistance.aspx

You may also contact the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to find out if you qualify for any hurricane related help with your mortgage or mortgage insurance. To contact HUD about disaster assistance visit: https://www. hud.gov/program_offices/housing/sfh/ins/203h-dft or https://www. hud.gov/program_offices/housing/sfh/nsc/qaho0121

TAX RELIEF

Taxpayers in affected areas may be eligible for tax relief from the IRS. To learn more about IRS assistance visit: https://ww w.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-relief-in-disaster-situations.

DISASTER RECOVERY LOANS

The U.S. Small Business Administration is providing various disaster loans to qualifying Floridians. For more information about SBA disaster loans visit: https://www.sba.gov/disaster-ass istance/. The U.S. Department of Agriculture provides loans to qualifying individuals, businesses, and communities after disasters. For more information visit: https://www.usda.gov/topics/d isaster/storms, or contact the USDA office in Florida at: (352) 338-3400.

DISASTER UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE

Floridians who are unemployed as a result of a disaster, and who are ineligible for regular state unemployment insurance, are encouraged to apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) through the U.S. Department of Labor. For additional information about DUA visit: https://workfo rcesecurity.doleta.gov/unemploy/disaster.asp or contact the U.S. Department of Labor by phone at 1-866-487-2365.

HURRICANE RESPONSE HIRING

The U.S. Small Business Administration is hiring a variety of temporary positions located throughout areas affected by recent disasters. For more information visit: https://www.sba.gov/disaster-assistance/hurrican e-res ponse -jobs -sba< /a>. For FEMA hiring visit: https://careers.fema.gov/hur ricane-workforce.

FEMA ASSISTANCE

For in-person assistance with storm related questions, visit your local FEMA Disaster Recovery Center. For a list of centers in your area visit: https://egateway.fema.gov/ESF6/ DRCLocator or call 1-800-621-FEMA (1-800-621-3362) TTY: 1-800-462-7585.

Be aware of SCAMS: Federal and state workers never ask for or accept money, and always carry identification badges. There is no fee required to apply for or to get disaster assistance from FEMA, or the State of Florida. If you suspect fraud call FEMA's Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721, or the Florida Attorney General fraud hotline at 1-866-966-7226.

RESOURCES

Emergency Assistance 9-1-1

Local resources (food, shelter, childcare,) 2-1-1

Food, water, ice distribution https://www.floridadisaster.org/, 850-815-4001, TDD/TTY: 1-800-226-4329

County Emergency Management Offices https://www.floridadisaster.org /counties/

Shelters www.floridadisaster.org/sh elter-status/

Florida Highway Conditions: www.flhsmv.gov/f hp/traffic/live_traffic_feed.html, or dial 5-1-1 or *FHP (347)

Florida Elder Affairs Hotline 1-800-96-ELDER (1-800-963-5337) http://elderaffairs.state.fl.us/

Veteran Disaster Hotline www.va.gov, 1-800-507-4571

Disaster Distress Helpline (for emotional distress) 1-800-985-5990, or text TalkWithUs to 66746

Blue Tarp Roofs (Army Corps of Engineers) 1-888-ROOF-BLU

FEMA www.disasterassistance.gov, 1-800-621-FEMA (1-800-621-3362) TTY: 1-800-745-0243
 

Kurt

Admin
Staff member
Oct 15, 2004
2,233
4,925
SoWal
mooncreek.com
Blast from the past - I was looking at Google maps for satellite images of the marina where the new Hotel Indigo is about to open and Harrison's Restaurant adjacent and saw this...

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