Fire Chief Paul Hasenmeier, BOCC Chairwoman Beth Narverud and County Commissioner John Allocco provided an update on Tropical Storm Debby this morning at 10:00 am.
Hernando County is still under a local state of emergency with a storm surge anticipated to be 3 to 5 feet. Low tide was around 9 a.m. this morning and we made it through the overnight high tide. The next high tide is at 2:24 pm today.
EOC, the fire department, and the Sheriff’s Office will be monitoring conditions on Hernando Beach, Aripeka, and any of the low-lying areas.
There is a tornado watch until 4 p.m. today and a flood watch until 8 p.m. tonight.
They anticipate winds to weaken below tropical storm force around 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. today.
Nonessential county offices will re-open tomorrow.
There will be garbage pickup today and the main landfill is currently open and operational.
There are several roadway closures throughout the county.
Credit: Hernando County Government
HCSO is reporting the following roadway obstructions over the last hour:
This morning, around 9 a.m., a driver heading eastbound on Wiscon Rd hydroplaned and went into a ditch filled with water. There were no injuries.
Eastern Hernando County residents do need to be prepared for potential flooding from the Withlacoochee River over the next week.
The Ridge Manor Community Center sandbag location will reopen tomorrow at 7 a.m. and it will remain open until 7 p.m.
Overnight, the Sheriff’s Office and fire rescue crews were busy handling multiple calls, including a fire at the 4 Corners Pharmacy and Bauknight Insurance strip mall on Spring Hill Drive.
David Lambert, Withlacoochee River Electric CEO, remarked that at the height of the storm, there were a little over 30,000 members throughout their service area without power. As of around 10 am there were a little under 1800 members without power, most of which are in the eastern Hernando County area. They expect that power will be restored for the majority of those members by 5 p.m. today.
Credit: HCSO
