COLUMBIA COUNTY, Fla. – Columbia County Schools said that all schools now have power and are safe for both students and staff to return to campus after Hurricane Helene.
The district will reopen schools on Tuesday.
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The district said phone service is down at each school because of storm damage, but each campus has been equipped with an emergency landline.
“We ask that parents limit calls to the schools for emergencies only. For non-emergency communication, Parent Square remains available to contact individual staff members,” the district said.
District officials said that for students without power at home, Tuesday will be an excused absence with a parent note and will not count toward a student’s maximum parent note totals. Transportation will run in all areas accessible.
All staff members are expected to report to their schools/departments as usual.
“We appreciate the resilience of our community during this challenging time and look forward to welcoming students back to school,” the district said.
According to the governor’s office, the Florida Department of Health (DOH) is deploying over 315 emergency response vehicles staged across multiple counties, including Columbia County, and the county’s special needs shelter at Westside Elementary School remains open.
Four boil water advisories have been issued for neighborhoods in Columbia County:
- Lake City Campground
- Castle Hill Academy
- Cannon Creek Mobile Home Park
- Cool Breeze Mobile Home Park
If your community is under a boil water advisory, you’re advised to either use bottled water or boil all tap water prior to use for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth, or preparing baby food.
To properly boil water:
- Fill a pot with water.
- Heat the water until bubbles come from the bottom of the pot to the top.
- Once the water reaches a rolling boil, let it boil for at least 1 minute.
- Turn off the heat source and let the water cool.
- Pour the water into a clean container with a cover for storage.
Construction projects will remain on hold in Columbia County on Monday.
Road closures: Debris on the roadway on US-441 has closed all lanes in both Directions from SW Malone Street to SW Balboa Place.