CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – There were multiple reports of downed trees and fallen power lines in Clay County on Monday as the outer bands of Hurricane Debby blew through the area, according to Clay County Emergency Management.
MORE: Hurricane Debby downgraded to tropical storm; expected to cause major flooding over next few days | County-by-county: Government offices, school districts, other agencies announce closures ahead of Tropical Storm Debby | Viewers in Northeast Florida share photos of flooding, damage as Hurricane Debby makes landfall
Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook said deputies responded to at least one call of a tree falling on an occupied car and encouraged all residents to stay off the roads if possible.
The Sheriff’s Office said the tree fell on a car at Brickhouse Avenue and County Road 214 near Keystone Heights but luckily no one was hurt.
Cook said there are additional deputies on the street to provide help to anyone having issues.
“It’s just not safe out there and I would like to strongly encourage you to please stay off the roads,” Cook said. “But if you do have to drive and you come up to an intersection where the lights are malfunctioning. Please remember to treat it as a four-way stop.”
The storm will be out of our area by Tuesday morning, but the county said that doesn’t mean the effects will be gone with it and it is preparing for possible flooding in Black Creek. Officials said the creek is rising and it will continue to monitor the area.
Lake Asbury Junior High, Keystone Heights Elementary, and Orange Park High School are open as shelters for anyone who needs them.
The Emergency Management Call Center is open for the duration of the storm, and can be reached at 1-877-252-9362.
The Clay County senior centers will be open on Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. only for the county senior citizens to get a shelf-stable meal kit.
The senior centers will be open on Wednesday for normal business operations and garbage, yard waste and recycling programs will resume as usual on Tuesday. Monday’s pickups will be handled on Tuesday, so expect your trash pickup to be delayed by a day. The crews will run on Saturday to finish the routes.
The shelters at the schools will close on Tuesday at 8 a.m.
If Black Creek does see flooding, the county will have alternate shelters on standby, ready to open for residents if the need arises.