St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners announced Thursday that St. Johns County Administration, the Emergency Management Division and all departments are proactively monitoring the progress of Tropical Storm Hermine and preparing for the impact it will have on the community. The County is working closely with local service agencies including the St. Johns County School Board, the City of St. Augustine, Florida Power and Light and a variety of other community service partners to comprehensively prepare for the anticipated inclement weather and resulting storm impacts. For the safety and well-being of residents and visitors, St. Johns County is taking several precautionary measures:
Emergency Management
The St. Johns County Emergency Operations Center is operating at a Level 3 (monitoring) status, and is actively observing the storm and any potential threats to the community. Emergency Management staff has been in close contact with the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the National Weather Service Jacksonville, and the National Hurricane Center and will continue to receive updates from each agency throughout the duration of the storm. Emergency Management will continue to closely monitor progress of Tropical Storm Hermine and will increase activation levels if necessary.
Beaches
Vilano Beach was closed to vehicular access on Tuesday due to increased erosion, rising surf, unusually high tides, and current and projected significant weather events impacting the coast this week. Vilano Beach remains open to pedestrian traffic but will remain closed to vehicular traffic for the immediate future.
All St. Johns County beaches will be closed to vehicular traffic beginning Thursday, Sept. 1 and will remain closed throughout the duration of Tropical Storm Hermine. All trash receptacles, portalets, cones, and other beach infrastructure will be removed. Coastal flooding could warrant multiple day closures of certain beach access ramps. Beach Services will inspect the beach during and after the event to reinstate vehicular access as soon as conditions allow.
The St. Johns County Ocean and Fishing Pier will remain closed during tropical storm conditions.
Pier staff will continue to monitor wind and weather conditions and will reopen the Pier when safe and appropriate.
Storm events can cause injured and exhausted wildlife to wash up on the beaches. Please do not return injured animals back to sea. Contact the Sheriff’s Office non-emergency line at 904.824.8304 to report the location of an injured animal. County staff or volunteers will respond to the situation.
Solid Waste
St. Johns County Solid Waste is monitoring Tropical Storm Hermine and working with Republic Services and Advanced Disposal to adjust pickup schedules if necessary due to tropical storm conditions resulting in sustained winds of 40 miles per hour or more. Should pick-up routes be delayed, residents will be provided information regarding updated schedules. Debris pickup information will also be provided.
St. Johns County Administration and St. Johns County Emergency Management staff will remain in close contact with all departments, including Public Works, Utilities, Parks and Recreation, and Fire Rescue, for the duration of the storm to monitor impacts to facilities, programs, and services. Up-to-date storm response information will be posted at www.sjcfl.us, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SJCFL, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/StJohnsCounty and www.twitter.com/EOC, and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/St.JohnsCounty. For more information on storm preparedness, including evacuation zones and shelters, please visit www.sjcemergencymanagement.com.
Updated information will be posted as it becomes available.
