Escambia County will open seven food and water distribution sites Saturday
Jim LittleEscambia County officials on Saturday morning will open at least seven sites throughout the county to provide residents food and water — about 72 hours after Hurricane Sally came ashore and unleashed torrential rain and winds on the Panhandle, leaving most of the region without power.
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Escambia County Emergency Manager Eric Gilmore said the county and state would be opening seven "points of distribution" sites at 8 a.m. Saturday. All of the sites will offer bottles of water and MREs, or meals ready to eat, and two of the sites will also have ice available.
These five sites will have food and water:
- AMC Movie Theater parking lot, 161 E. Nine Mile Road, Pensacola
- Brent Athletic Park baseball field, 4711 North W St., Pensacola
- Casino Beach parking lot on Pensacola Beach
- Century Industrial Park, warehouse parking lot, 6081 Industrial Blvd., Century
- Point Church, 13801 Innerarity Point Road, Pensacola
Mercy Chefs Feeding will be at the Brownsville Community center from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
These two sites will have food, water and ice:
- Brownsville Community Center, 3200 W. DeSoto St., Pensacola
- Marie K. Young Wedgewood Community Center, 6405 Wagner Road in Pensacola
The Salvation Army will be handing out 1000 meals at the following eight locations
- Equestrian Center, noon
- Century, FL - in the area of the POD location
- Perdido Key (Point Church) - in the area of the POD location
- Brent - in the area of the POD location
- AMC Theater, Pensacola - in the area of the POD location
- Olive Baptist Church, Warrington
- Immanuel Baptist , Pace, FL
- The park near the Salvation Army Corps on Q Street
The Red Cross will be at the Olive Baptist Church on Monday.
Setting up the sites has taken longer than officials had hoped. State supply trucks coming with food and water from Tallahassee have been delayed because of flooding on Interstate 10, Gilmore said.
Escambia County Commissioner Lumon May on Friday morning voiced the frustration that residents in his district were experiencing as they were trying to survive the aftermath of a hurricane during the middle of a global pandemic.
"We're calling on the state," May said. "Get us the supplies that we need. Our citizens deserve it. They've suffered for way too long. We need ice, we need water. We don't need it in 72 hours. We need it today."
By Friday afternoon, May said he had spoken with state officials and U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, who confirmed that two of the distribution sites in his district, the one in Brownsville and the other in Wedgewood, would be distributing ice, along with water and food.
Gulf Power says 95% of customers who lost power will have lights back on by Tuesday
As of Friday afternoon, 60% of Escambia County residents and 32% of Santa Rosa County residents were still without power.
Gulf Power announced Thursday night that 95% of people impacted by Hurricane Sally would have their power restored by Tuesday.
"In addition to that, we know how important it is for you to have more detailed information to plan your lives," Gulf Power President Marlene Santos said at a Friday morning press conference. "So on Saturday night, we will be able to provide you more details about your restoration. So we'll be able to tell customers who will be restored on Sunday, who will be restored on Monday, and who will be restored on Tuesday."
ECUA customer still under boil water notice, asked to conserve water
The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority was also working to restore service to its customers as the entire system remained under a boil water notice.
ECUA Executive Director Bruce Woody called on ECUA customers Friday to conserve water to not overwhelm the sewage treatment system.
"While the water supply system is greatly improved in its service delivery, our challenges are on the sanitation side," Woody said.
Sewage treatment plants are working, but about 250 of the system's 400 lift stations, which pump sewage to the treatment plants, do not have power. Crews are using generators to operate the stations manually, and are having to go station to station to operate each lift station.
Woody said crews have been able to keep up, but as power comes back on, water usage is going up, putting more demand on the sewage system.
"An additional thing you can do to help all of us is to conserve water," Woody said. "Despite it being available, please consider conserving water."
Woody said ECUA is conducting water tests over the two to three days to determine where the boil water notice can be rescinded.
Pensacola Bay Center sheltering fewer than 300 people
As of Friday afternoon, it was unclear how many Escambia County residents have been displaced by Hurricane Sally. Officials have encouraged people to stay with friends and family when possible.
On Friday, the county closed down its other shelters because the Pensacola Bay Center was the only shelter needed. Escambia County Public Safety Director Jason Rogers said fewer than 300 people were sheltering at the Bay Center.
Rogers said some people were only coming to the shelter to seek food, rather than shelter.
The American Red Cross was set to take over operations of the shelter Saturday, county officials said.
Curfew hours will change Saturday
A curfew will remain in effect through the weekend, but the hours will change Saturday, according to Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan. Starting Saturday, the curfew will be in effect from midnight through 6 a.m.
Morgan said the purpose of the curfew was meant to prevent looting but not to keep people from being out for legitimate reasons.
"We're not locking people in their homes," Morgan said. "We're not arresting people for being out past curfew. If you have a legitimate reason for being out of your home — this is not an Escambia County lockdown — so use some common sense. If you have a reason to be out — if you're going to get a prescription at one of the all-night pharmacies — you're not going to be stopped or harassed."
Jim Little can be reached at jwlittle@pnj.com and 850-208-9827.