NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. – Severe thunderstorms that swept through Nassau County on Monday left a wake of flooded streets, downed trees and power outages.
Blackrock Road at Chester Road was closed because of a downed tree, and North Harts Road at State Road 200 was flooded and impassable, officials said.
Recommended Videos
Lights at State Road 200 and U.S. 17 were out. The area should be treated as a four-way stop.
Water was also covering the roadway at S.R. 200 near Yulee Baptist Church, and Old Nassauville Road at Mobley Heights was blocked by a downed tree.
Residents should report storm damage to 904-548-0900.
Emergency Operations Center officials in Nassau County were in protective actions mode Monday, which means they were prepared for the possibilities of what Tropical Storm Colin can bring. But, all of that changed as possible tornadoes moved through the county.
“Well, it puts us in a completely reactive posture. We can put in capabilities to respond to those types of situations but it is purely reactive because, obviously, tornadoes spawn up at the spur of the moment,” said Billy Estep with Nassau County. “You cannot predict exactly where or when they’re going to occur.”
As storms moved north, tornado warnings were issued about 3:36 p.m. for northwestern Nassau County. They were in effect until 4:15 p.m.
A severe storm capable of producing a tornado was also located over Hilliard moving north at 20 mph.
Estep said it's early in the hurricane season and this is the ultimate dress rehearsal for them, and it should be for people at home, too.
Make sure you have a plan and put it into practice now, Estep said.
Their plan includes adding more staff all around, including in the 911 center, fire and rescue responders and more people overall in the EOC. Part of that staff will include 55 radio operators, like Buddy Sinor.
“Well, we can send them an email the water’s out. Boil the water. Or, we have electricity down and it’s going to be off in your neighborhood for 24 hours or something,” Sinor said.
You can sign up for those alerts through the Everbridge Citizen Alert System.
In 2012 with Tropical Storm Debbie, the U.S. 301 bridge collapsed.
Estep said his office will be monitoring the winds and will close the Heckscher Drive Bridge going on to Amelia Island, as well as the Shea Bridge coming across the Intracoastal Waterway on State Road 200 if winds get strong enough.