Chris Jones: Greene Publishing, Inc.
Before Hurricane Irma flooded Georgia, Florida, and the Caribbean, she flooded news outlets, social media, and the minds of every attentive resident of the Sunshine State. Her approach was followed closely on The Weather Channel, Facebook and countless other sources. On Sunday, Sept. 3, Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency in all 67 Florida counties. “Hurricane Irma is a major life-threatening storm, and Florida must be prepared,” said the Governor.
Madison County Emergency Management Director Alan Whigham spearheaded the County's collective response to Irma's threat. Representatives from various agencies and organizations such as the Madison County Sheriff's Office (MCSO), Madison Police Department (MPD), various fire departments, and various public works departments came together and recommended that the County Commissioners declare a local state of emergency, which they did on Wednesday, Sept. 6.
Madison County saw throngs of evacuees flood the county, either on Interstate 10 or US 90, as they evacuated. When and where gas was available, the lines were long. Water flew off the local shelves as people prepared for the worst.
On Saturday, Sept. 9, at 2:30 p.m., the Emergency Management Agency (EMA) held a meeting at which it was reported Madison County should expect 70 – 80 mile per hour (mph) winds. Director Whigham stated that the biggest threat to Madison was the wind and widespread downed trees and loss of power. At 3:15 p.m., the County Commission held an emergency board meeting. A mandatory evacuation order was issued to the residents of all mobile homes, sub-standard housing, recreational vehicles (RV's) and low-lying areas. With the implementation of the mandatory curfew, the Madison County Central School shelter was opened to receive anyone interested in seeking shelter. Madison County Sheriff Ben Stewart implemented a curfew, which would last from 6 p.m. to noon the next day.
According to the National Weather Service, Madison County experienced sustained winds up to 45 mph, and gusts up to 60 mph. According to Director Whigham, no major injuries have been reported in Madison County directly related to Hurricane Irma. Water and gas services provided by the municipalities of Greenville, Madison and Lee were not disrupted by the storm.
Electricity
One of the biggest impacts that Hurricane Irma had on Madison County and the surrounding area was the loss of electricity due to downed power lines. According to a spokesperson with Duke Energy, Hurricane Irma caused significant damage to the electrical transmission infrastructure. Local electric co-operatives, such as Tri-County Electric Cooperative, partner with the larger companies. The transmission infrastructure problems, as well as heavily damaged substations, have caused a delay in power restoration to some co-op customers. However, according to Tri-County Electric Cooperative Community Relations Specialist, Kaitlyn Culpepper, the majority of their customers who are without power due to the transmission lines are in Jefferson County and Steinhatchee, Fl. Culpepper said that 5,358 customers in Madison County lost power. As of Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2,769 customers were still without power. Tri-County intends to have 100 percent of their customers back on-line by midnight on Sunday, Sept. 17.
Duke Energy reported that they had approximately 826,000 customers who lost power. As of Wednesday, Sept. 13, 577,000 accounts had been restored. Duke Energy estimates they have nearly 12,000 workers throughout the state working to restore services to their customers.
Due to the heavy volume of outages and technology issues, Duke Energy's online reporting tool is not updating properly. Outage numbers on their automated system do not reflect the actual number of customers whose power has been restored. Until that tool is functioning properly, the company will send out updated outage numbers through various other online channels. Duke Energy customers can text “OUT” to 57801 at any time to report power loss.
Duke Energy released a statement saying that they will first restore power to critical infrastructure, such as emergency centers, fire stations, hospitals, water treatment facilities, and other public safety facilities. The company will simultaneously repair major power transmission lines, damaged substations, and other large-scale electrical equipment to restore power to the largest number of customers, as quickly as possible. They will then begin work to restore power to small pockets of customers in rural areas such as Madison. Duke Energy also anticipates having all of its Madison County customers back online by midnight on Sunday, Sept. 17.
law enforcement
The MPD and MCSO were both on what they refer to as Alpha-Bravo status, meaning, all hands were on deck. MPD Sergeant David Spicer said the City of Madison was broken into quadrants and increased patrols were conducted in an effort to deter crime. On Friday, Sept. 8, when eastbound traffic was most congested, the MPD took manual control of the City's traffic lights to allow a smoother flow on US 90. According to Sgt. Spicer, there were no hurricane-related crimes or looting in Madison. There was a time, from 7 a.m. to noon on Monday, Sept. 11, when the MPD units were not patrolling. Winds broke the 45 mph mark, which is the statewide operational limit.
MCSO Major David Harper said that several deputies were assigned to the Madison County Central School, which served as the County's emergency shelter. Maj. Harper said the MCSO left the patrol of Interstate 10 to the Florida Highway Patrol and concentrated solely on the County. “We did not have to respond to anything other than storm issues,” he said. As soon as the storm passed, deputies began patrolling the county roads looking for road blockages. The blockages were listed on a large board located in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), which helped the County Road Department prioritize and respond to blockages.
Both the MPD and MCSO agreed that one of the biggest aids to their success in preparing for and responding to the threats of Hurricane Irma was the increased level of inter-agency communication. “All of the agencies were represented in the EOC and the communications center,” said Sgt. Spicer.
City of Madison
According to Madison City Manager Tim Bennett, in addition to the MPD altering traffic lights, various other city departments were very active during the storm. Madison Fire Rescue stood ready to clear roads during emergencies, and Fire Chief Bruce Jordan worked from the EOC coordinating fire and rescue assets throughout the whole county. Crews were formed by consolidating employees from the city's Public Works Department and the Utilities Department, which began pushing debris off the roadways as soon as the weather permitted. They were joined by Brandies Construction, and together the crews began transporting the debris to disposal sites. So far, 1,200 cubic yards of debris has been removed in at least 60 loads. Gas Department personnel assisted the crews by monitoring and documenting the number of loads and amount of debris.
The City's Wastewater Department encountered problems at five lift stations and are still monitoring them to prevent spills and back-ups. The Water Department has all three wells in an operational status. Early in the storm, the Water Department encountered a generator problem at the City's primary well; and local businessman, Gino Poire, loaned the City a standby generator. The City of Madison alerted the State of Florida emergency network that they needed a generator. City Manager Bennett said that should those generators have failed to keep the main well operational, water service to Madison citizens would have continued via the other two wells.
helping others
The Florida Department of Health (DOH) operates a unique program in which citizens can register as having special needs. Those individuals had access to the special needs wing of the emergency shelter at the Madison County Central School. According to spokesperson Lisa Hayes, eligibility for the special needs program includes people who are on oxygen, alzheimer's patients, and individuals who have recently had surgeries.
The special needs wing was staffed 24 hours a day by DOH nurses who, among other things, ensured their patients received three meals a day, monitored oxygen levels, and saw to the general welfare of their patients. Hayes said that 12 individuals were serviced in the special needs wing.
Barbara McElveen, along with several other special-needs residents of the Cambridge Apartments, in Madison, took advantage of the program. “The ladies with special needs, including myself, want to thank Ivan and his friends, including all of the volunteers at the Middle School. God bless them,” she said.