Tropical Storm Debby approaches Franklin
Tropical Storm Debby is expected to reach Franklin County this Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m.
The following statement was provided by Jennifer Daniels, Franklin County Emergency Management Director. For more information, visit https://www.franklinemergencymanagement.com/press-releases/
Franklin County Emergency Management continues to monitor Tropical Storm Debby. The storm is predicted to become a CAT 1 Hurricane prior to landfall. Franklin County is now under a Tropical Storm Warning and Storm Surge Warning, as well as a Hurricane and Flash Flood Watch. We are expected to receive 2-8 inches of rain, 3-5 feet of surge, and winds 58 – 73 mph. TS Debby is expected to make landfall Monday, but we are likely to feel the effects as early as Sunday evening through Monday.
Franklin County is under mandatory evacuation for all barrier islands (St. George Island, Dog Island, and Alligator Point), low-lying and flood-prone areas especially along the coast and rivers, and RV parks effective 6:00 a.m., Sunday, August 4. Additional evacuations may be issued if there are changes in storm track or intensity.
If you feel unsafe then do not shelter at home, leave until the storm has passed and then return. Now is the time to decide to shelter in place or evacuate. Keep in mind shelters are a means of last resort if you have an alternative place to stay that is safe from the storm, that is recommended. When evacuating, use caution on roads including Hwy 67. Remember that if you have health concerns, EMS will not be able to respond if wind speeds reach 40 mph sustained. It is unsafe for ambulances to be dispatched in high winds. Please make sure your preparations have been made to secure your home and your disaster kit is ready.
Franklin County Schools will be closed on Monday, August 5, employees will not be present.
County Government offices will be closed on Monday, August 5. The Franklin County Board of County Commissioners Meeting scheduled for Tuesday, August 6, will be postponed until Thursday, August 8 at 9:00 a.m.
Buy Rite Pharmacy will be closed Monday, August 5.
Please be safe and continue to monitor the local news, WOYS, and Franklin County Emergency Management Facebook page for updates.
Schools closed Monday for staff
Steve Lanier, superintendent of the Franklin County Schools, has announced plans to close school for all employees on Monday, August 5. “We have been watching the weather in the tropics for the last few days and yesterday Governor DeSantis declared a state of emergency for Franklin County. With the current projected path of the tropical disturbance currently down around Cuba and heading our way, we will be closing.
While the exact path of the storm is unknown, we could potentially get high winds and rain up to 6 inches. As of now, it is projected that the storm could be off our coast with 70 mile an hour winds early Monday morning. Now is the time to get prepared.
Please be safe and we will plan to resume our schedule on Tuesday, August 6.
Meet the Editor
David Adlerstein, The Apalachicola Times’ digital editor, started with the news outlet in January 2002 as a reporter.
Prior to then, David Adlerstein began as a newspaperman with a small Boston weekly, after graduating magna cum laude from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He later edited the weekly Bellville Times, and as business reporter for the daily Marion Star, both not far from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
In 1995, he moved to South Florida, and worked as a business reporter and editor of Medical Business newspaper. In Jan. 2002, he began with the Apalachicola Times, first as reporter and later as editor, and in Oct. 2020, also began editing the Port St. Joe Star.