FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – Most residents in Flagler County woke up Thursday morning to no power, flooding and more than 30 road closures after Hurricane Milton.
As of Thursday at 4:12 p.m., 49,180 Florida Power & Light customers in Flagler County were still without power.
County officials said Thursday evening that due to outgoing concerns regarding community safety after dark, the curfew will remain in effect from 7 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. until further notice.
“We are prioritizing the safety of our community. The curfew is a precautionary measure that allows first responders to operate without interference and protects residents from potential dangers associated with flooding, downed powerlines, and debris,” said Flagler County Emergency Management Director, Jonathan Lord.
The evacuation order has been lifted, but officials said residents should be aware that flooding and storm surge conditions may still be present throughout the evening.
Much of early Thursday morning was filled with flood warnings and driving rain.
“I am thinking that I am glad we made it through for the most part,” Taurean Wilson said.
Hurricane and all, the Wilsons made sure the night Milton made landfall was still about family.
“Yesterday was my birthday,” he said.
News4JAX drove through Bunnell Thursday morning, and it was easy to see that water quickly clogged the drainage in the small city.
Lord urged Flagler County residents to limit their water usage due to the sewage system being overwhelmed by all the rainfall.
“There’s nothing wrong with the water coming out of the tap. All of our issues are due to the sewage system being overloaded, which is very common in heavy rain situations,” Lord said.
As of Thursday afternoon, there had been no reports of storm-related injuries in Flagler County.
Flooding, downed trees and powerlines also resulted in a myriad of road closures across the county.
Flagler County Emergency Management released a list of critical road closures:
- SR100 from East Woodland Ave to Deen Rd
- Otis Stone from Railroad to Hardgrove, both directions
- N. Old Dixie/Old Brick Road/ CR13 to the county line
- East Moody - Old Court House/Playhouse
- Deen Road to Bimini
- US1 South @ Lake Lucille
- CR 2007 to CR 2006
- Forest Park between Acorn Ave & CR 90
- Trail Run between John Anderson & Bulow Woods Circle
- SR100 West of CR 205
- St. Johns Ave: tree in power line
- Old Kings Road @ Utility Drive
- CR 2006 between Water Oak & CR 115N
- CR 108 West of CR 2007
- CR 115 N: impassable
- E of 2207 CR 2006: big tree in powerline
- Neutral line down across CR 2006 between Cheryl Elanie & Park Place
- 6615 CR 305: Phone line hanging low
- 2007 past CR 108: Cable across
- 3 Elizabeth: power line
- 22 Moody: phone line
- CR 13: Tree in power line
- Old Kings at Utility Dr.
- CR 2006 between CR 115N & Dead-end
- CR 305 Lake Disston: Water over road
- CR 15 & CR 25 & CR 65: Water
- CR 75: Washing out
- Tangerine: Washing out
- North Side of Intersection at Coconut & Walnut
- Durrance Lane / Strickland Road
As the sun rose, people went to the Flagler Beach Pier to observe somewhat of a serene sight.
The sun also exposed roof damage to homes; City Hall’s roof was also completely torn off.
City Commissioner James Sherman told News4JAX that given the circumstances, Flagler Beach held up.
“I think our community overall has been spared. We have some downed power lines and flooding. A1A is intact. I think the dune renourishment did its part, and we are a resilient community,” Sherman said.
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He and other local leaders are asking people to stay off the road when they can and allow officials to see what needs attention and who needs help.
Damage assessment crews were set to go out in the field Thursday afternoon and the county said it expects to have preliminary information later in the evening.
For the latest updates on Hurricane Milton from Flagler County Emergency Management, visit Flagler Emergency. The Flagler County Emergency Operations Center’s 24-hour call center is available at 386-313-4200 and will remain open until the storm passes.
