Cleaning up after Fay
Cleaning up after Fay
Fallen limbs, soggy yards, and nasty debris met a lot of homeowners on their first foray back into the outdoors after Tropical Storm Fay’s rains and winds subsided this weekend.
While a few residents remain without power, most neighborhoods have begun the process of cleaning up after Fay.
Municipal crews were out in force Saturday in Jacksonville clearing trees and yard debris. In most of the smaller counties, crews will be out and about beginning Monday. Storm debris
pickup for some county residents is scheduled for Tuesday. Debris should be placed at the roadside for pickup.
A lot of the rural counties still have standing water in many roadways and dirt roads in particular have suffered washouts becoming impassable. Officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Briceville and Callahan in Nassau County were some of the hardest hit.
The Thomas Creek area in Nassau County was inundated with water. Some areas of Freedom Drive in Callahan were under five feet of water. Sheriff Tommy Seagraves said more than 1,000 residents were affected. The Florida National Guard sent a group to help the area over the weekend. They left late Sunday evneing.
Black Creek hit 21.5 feet Saturday and unless more heavy rains come, it's expected to start receding this week.
In Baker County, there are no mandatory evacuations, however, the St. Mary's River was atcrest at 21.0 feet by Sunday morning and forecasted to crest near 21.5 Monday before falling. Residents of the St. Mary's Cove area were strongly encouraged to evacuate. According to the county’s emergency operations center, there are a good number of roads still closed or impassable.
Baker County schools will be open on Monday. School buses will not be running on dirt roads on Monday, August 25, 2008. Students who will not have bus transport to school will be excused.
Fay made landfall a record four times in Florida before it was downgraded to a tropical depression. The storm has been blamed for 13 deaths, 11 in Florida and one each in Alabama and Georgia. A total of 23 died in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
