Damage
- The City of Fort Pierce has reported 600 homes damaged by flooding within the city limits.
- Estimated damage to St. Lucie County: $50 million, including $20 in damages to agriculture, including a 100 percent loss to the tomato crops.
Official Accumulative Rainfall
- Emergency Operations Center: 14.83″
- City of Ft. Pierce (Georgia Ave & U.S. 1): 15.11″
- Green River Parkway at St Lucie/Martin County Line: 15.61″
- Inlet State Park: 12.48″
General Information/Available Help
- The American Red Cross will have 12 Emergency Response Vehicles patrolling heavily flooded areas of the county on Friday, handing out meals and clean up kits. The Red Cross will also have eight assessments teams on site calculating damages.
- St. Lucie County’s Emergency Operation Center’s Rumor Control Hotline closed at 5 p.m. Thursday, after fielding more than 1,000 calls since Tuesday.
School Closings/Relocation Information
- St. Lucie County Schools will remain closed the rest of the week. School is expected to resume Monday, Aug. 25. Key employee groups predetermined through emergency event plans already in place have been notified to report for work for St. Lucie County Public Schools on Friday at their normal work site for a normal work day.
- The school district central offices on Okeechobee Road in Fort Pierce suffered extensive damage throughout the facility from three inches of water flooding the entire Orange Blossom Business Center on Wednesday morning.
- All employees of St. Lucie County Public Schools should not report to work Thursday, but be on standby for Friday. Schools and other facilities are still being assessed for potential damage from the storm. Schools will remain closed until Monday, Aug. 25. St. Anastasia and John Carroll High School will remain closed until Monday, Aug. 25.
Three hundred central office personnel and their department functions will be relocated beginning Monday, for six to eight weeks at the following locations:
- Student assignment at Samuel S. Gaines Academy K-8 beginning at 1 p.m. on Monday.
- Human Resources/Payroll/Risk Management/Finance in Building 4 at Fort Pierce Central High School ESE/Students Services at Garden City Early Learning Academy
- Superintendent/School Board Members/Communications/Assistant Superintendent Dr. Kathleen McGinn/Strategic Planning and Central Services at Samuel Gaines Academy K-8
- Deputy Superintendent Sandra Wolfe at transportation offices in south county complex
- Assistant Superintendent Kevin Perry, Allapattah Flats K-8
- Assistant Superintendent Genelle Yost at Garden City Early Learning Academy
- Assistant Superintendent Dr. Christine Taylor at Winterlakes K-8
- Security at north and south transportation facilities
- Teaching and Learning Services/Career and Technical Education/Professional Development and Assessment at Southbend K-8
- Growth Management and Intergovernmental Relations, south county transportation complex
- Title I at White City Elementary
- Food Services at south county transportation complex
- St. Lucie County Education Foundation at St. Lucie County Chamber of Commerce offices in St. Lucie West
- Mail/delivery to facilities offices at south county complex
- Delivery services to warehouse at south county complex
City/County Office and Meeting Information
- All St. Lucie County offices, including Clerk of the Court, 19th Judicial Circuit Courts, Health Department, Tax Collector, Supervisor of Elections (except the main office) Sheriff, and Property Appraisers, will be open on Friday.
- Both the City of Fort Pierce and City of Port St. Lucie offices will be open on Friday.
- Early voting will resume Friday at the two South County locations: Port St. Lucie Community Center, 2195 SE Airoso Blvd, Port St Lucie and Morningside Branch Library, 2410 SE Morningside Blvd., Port St. Lucie. The Supervisor of Elections main office has sustained major water damage, but the office has restored its computer system and servers. For details visit: http://www.slcelections.com/. Candidates who need to file their reports before 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 22 can still do so, using the Supervisor of Election’s website. The Main Office at the Orange Blossom Business Center, 4132 Okeechobee Road, will be closed indefinitely.
- The St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday has been tentatively rescheduled to Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 6 p.m. in the Commission Chambers, 2300 Virginia Ave., Fort Pierce. (pending a quorum).
- The St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners will hold an Emergency Commission meeting on Friday, Aug. 22 at 4 p.m. in the Commission Chambers, 2300 Virginia Ave., Fort Pierce.
Transportation
- As of 1 p.m., Thursday, all fixed service was resumed for the Treasures Coast Connector for St. Lucie County and Martin County. Stops inaccessible because of flooding will be bypassed. In addition, the Port St. Lucie Trolley is operational.
Port St. Lucie
- As of noon Thursday, recovery from the heavy rains of Tropical Storm Fay continues in Port St. Lucie. Much of the water that caused flooding has receded, however a few roads still are closed, and motorists are asked to find alternate routes.
Power Outages
Florida Power & Light estimates that there are roughly 400 St. Lucie County residents without power Thursday afternoon.
Source: “Storm Situation Report #19.“ St. Lucie County Government. 21 August 2008, 5 PM.
Tags: St. Lucie County assistance, St. Lucie County closings, St. Lucie County Damage, St. Lucie County flooding, St. Lucie County power outages, St. Lucie County Red Cross assistance, St. Lucie County relocation information, St. Lucie County school closures, St. Lucie County transportation, tropical storm fay
