Evacuate Riverside and San Marco. River predicted to Overflow Banks by 3pm

[stephendare]

http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/082208/met_321591304.shtml

Peyton requesting San Marco, Riverside residents move up or out as river threatens to overflow; tornado watch issued

Overflow of St. Johns River likely at high tide just before 3 p.m.; tornado watch issued for region until 6 p.m.


By Jim Schoettler, The Times-Union

Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton is urging a voluntary relocation or evacuation of San Marco and Riverside residents who will be threatened by an overflowing St. Johns River at high tide this afternoon.

The National Weather Service said high tide in the area is just before 3 p.m.

The river overflowed in the same spots about 2 a.m. because of Tropical Storm Fay's winds and heavy rains. While pumps are working in San Marco, the capacity is not able to handle the volume, city officials said. There are apparently no pumps in Riverside.

Peyton toured both neighborhoods before noon and said he is worried for residents' safety and their property. He said he is also worried about sewage backing up in the area.

Peyton said he is recommending impacted residents move their vehicles and either move themselves and any valuables to higher ground in their homes or leave.

Peyton said he hopes the action will not be necessary again as the slow-moving storm moves away, but he said its continued crawl is a concern.

Deteriorating weather conditions in different parts of the region have also led the National Weather Service to issue a tornado watch until 6 p.m. for Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties. No funnel clouds have been reported.

Conditions have been deteriorating in the Jacksonville area throughout the day as Fay's gusty winds and heavy rains continuing pounding neighborhoods. Just before noon, a roof was reported blown off an apartment building near downtown at 1407 Jefferson St., though no injuries were reported, fire officials said. About noon, a roof collapsed on a

Biltmore home in the 5500 block of Amazon Avenune, leaving a mother and six children drenched but apparently uninjured.

Emergency crews are also responding to numerous reports of trees and wires down, trees on homes and fires in electric transformers.

Meanwhile, authorities are now blaming Fay for three deaths in the region. One person died and another was critically injured when a car hit a tree that had fallen on Church Road at U.S. 1 in Nassau county this morning. The weather is also being blamed for the death of a 16-year-old whose car collided with an SUV after spinning on wet pavement Wednesday in Jacksonville. And a 21-year-old Indiana woman died Thursday after being caught in rough surf at Neptune Beach.

In a separate incident, a 50-year-old man was critically injured this morning at the Bow and Arrow Campground in Nassau when a tree fell on him. And one person was slightly injured when a tree fell on a Jacksonville home Thursday.

Officials throughout the region were advising residents this morning to keep indoors as work crews attempt to clean up toppled trees, downed power lines and other debris left from a night of Fay's pounding rain and howling winds.

In Jacksonville alone, police and work crews are tackling more than 80 reports each of downed trees and power lines, while several streets are blocked in flood-prone areas such as McCoy's Creek and Hogan's Creek, said Lt. Darryl Daniels of the Sheriff's Office.

"Going out on these slick roads will cause nothing but problems," Daniels warned.

Power outages continue to be a region-wide hassle. Nearly 100,000 homes and business in the region remained without power at 11 a.m., including 76,000 JEA customers mostly in Duval, 11,000 FPL customers in St. Johns, 7,700 FPL customers in Nassau and 5,100 FPL customers in Flagler.

People who do venture out in Jacksonville will now find all but the Dames Point bridge open, Daniels said. Nearly every bridge in the city was closed at some point overnight because of high winds. Police continue to monitor the bridges and will close them if their gauges measure sustained tropical storm force winds of 40 mph.

Gusts recently reported about 9:30 a.m. include 57 mph at the St. Augustine Airport and 53 mph at Jacksonville Naval Air Station. Forecasters predict strong gusts from a departing Fay will continue through much of the day.

Heavy rains are expected through the weekend. As much as seven inches of rain has fallen since Wednesday in the Jacksonville area, much of which came since late Thursday, the National Weather Service said. Up to seven inches has fallen in Nassau County, a county official said. Other parts of the region saw varying rainfall totals. Those totals could increase to up to 15 inches in some spots through the weekend, said Steve Letro, meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service.

A tropical storm warning covers the region, while there is a flood warning in place until 3:15 p.m. for Duval, Flagler, Nassau and St. Johns counties, Letro said.

Flooding and fears of rising water is occurring in some of the usual spots, but one rare line of floodwaters has also been the St. Johns River. Letro said Fay's stiff winds and the wind direction caused the banks of the river to overflow in Jacksonville  and Flagler County at high tide. The river is about 18 inches higher than it was Thursday in Jacksonville, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Residents of Black Creek in Clay County are being warned that water will rise above the 16-foot flood stage today and will likely be at 20 feet Saturday. A few homes are then likely to flood, though most don't take on water until the river reaches 22 feet, which is not expected, said Jim Corbin, the county's emergency management director.

Another flooding concern is in Baker County, where officials are mulling over whether to issue an evaucation order for low-lying homes over the rising St. Marys River.

Fay's continued threat led region officials to close schools, most government offices and courts today.

As of 5 a.m, Fay's center was hovering over Gainesville with the system continuing to track westward at around 6 mph. It had been mostly stationary until picking up steam early today.

Most of the region's trouble began Thursday when the center of the crawling storm finally made its way on shore about 2:30 p.m. near Flagler Beach. Tropical storm force winds of at least 40 mph extend 100 miles from the center, while rain extends at least 200 miles, said Steve Letro, meteorologist in charge at the National Weather Service in Jacksonville.

"This is just a huge, huge system," Letro said.

The storm's impact is being felt by travelers at Jacksonville International Airport, where at least a half-dozen flights have been canceled.

Among those who suffered were the Israel family, who learned Thursday three of their flights to New York were scratched. Emily Israel, 8, said she is still hoping the Jacksonville family can make it to her cousin's bar mitzvah on Saturday.

"We've been planning on this for a year," said a dejected Emily, whose thoughts were interrupted by an announcement welcoming travelers to "sunny Jacksonville."

About 500 people took refuge in 13 area American Red Cross shelters overnight, including 100 at Landmark Middle School in Jacksonville, said agency spokeswoman Christian Smith. Several dozen new refugees piled into shelters this morning, Smith said.

Times-Union writers David Hunt, Rand Miranda, Tia Mitchell, Steve Patterson and Dana Treen contributed to this report.

jim.schoettler@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4385

[thelakelander]

I just got back from walking through San Marco flood waters.  Its pretty bad over there.  The images of San Marco and Springfield should be up soon.

[jbm32206]

looking forward to seeing them

[thelakelander]

Here's a few:

Springfield








San Marco

[TREE4309]

Parts of Ortega near Timuquana are currently underwater...people riding boats around.

[riverside_mail]

Go To Jacksonville.com front page to download road closure maps of both riverside and san marco.

This is a photo taken on River Road in San Marco, along the St. John's River.

Correction:  That is the intersection of River Blvd. and Copeland St. in Riverside.

[Ocklawaha]

Vital important transit information is perhaps being lost in our zeal to see "the most shocking" photo.
Is someone, ANYONE, making a list of every street flood, no matter how big or how little? If so then a reverse list could be made of the roads that DIDN'T FLOOD and we have our evacuation pathways, ready to label in every part of town. JTA? Anyone listening? Streets? Public Works? Anyone home? JSO? Got a list?

OCKLAWAHA

[Ocklawaha]

Tropical Storms can prove all sorts of transit technology. Perhaps this one did something FOR us, rather then just TO us?

OCKLAWAHA

[Coolyfett]

OMG!!!! Riverside floods are the worst! I can only imagine what Post & College look like. I don't understand what the cartoon is trying to say. Can you explain it?

[Ocklawaha]

Yes, it's a slam at the general "turtles" of Jacksonville. Those who are oblivious to the needs of their city, but ever present when $$ is mentioned at ANY city meeting. In this case, we have flooded Riverside, San Marco, Brooklyn, LaVilla, Downtwon, Springfield etc... and our great bus transportation system has gone off into a puddle. As the bus sinks, the conversation goes on and on... "Talk about a waste of money, (We should be thankful that) our city killed expansion of the Skyway." The "SKYWAY" is the 1/3 finished downtown monorail and the ONLY transportation system in town - besides the river taxi's, to be uneffected by the flood water.

An example of this logic is the $100 Million set aside for mass transit in the Better-Jacksonville-Plan, I am told, the money is available for any mass transit project but excludes the SKYWAY by name! DUMB!

In the original plan the Skyway was to go into San Marco (FLOODED TODAY), Springfield at Shands Hospital, (FLOODED TODAY), Riverside-Brooklyn (FLOODED TODAY). Live here and you better buy a boat.

OCKLAWAHA

[jbm32206]

just about anything from 1st to State and Market to Boulevard
3rd and Silver/Lauara/Boulevard, throughout the areas surrounding the park

[RiversideGator]

The karpeles was under water.

However the area was still navigable by means of the FCCJ parking lot and the modern bridges and roads.

So, the water was 40 feet deep there?

BTW, flooding in Riverside/Avondale was quite limited and less than I had expected.  The suggestion that evacuations were needed was laughable.

[RiversideGator]

It is ludicrous to call for evacuation in Riverside/Avondale when the flooding here was about as bad as when a strong thunderstorm hits.  Note that I am limiting my statement to this area only.

[RiversideGator]

Well, if I were you, when I was done investigating the Rezko scandal, I would open another investigation into the mayor's office taking a proactive stance on the possibilities.

Your premise is ludicrous and frankly so stupid as to be dangerous.

Its the kind of thinking that gets people killed, and you should stop it.

Who was killed?  I only heard about one young lady who died while swimming in the ocean.

[Coolyfett]

Yes, it's a slam at the general "turtles" of Jacksonville. Those who are oblivious to the needs of their city, but ever present when $$ is mentioned at ANY city meeting. In this case, we have flooded Riverside, San Marco, Brooklyn, LaVilla, Downtwon, Springfield etc... and our great bus transportation system has gone off into a puddle. As the bus sinks, the conversation goes on and on... "Talk about a waste of money, (We should be thankful that) our city killed expansion of the Skyway." The "SKYWAY" is the 1/3 finished downtown monorail and the ONLY transportation system in town - besides the river taxi's, to be uneffected by the flood water.

An example of this logic is the $100 Million set aside for mass transit in the Better-Jacksonville-Plan, I am told, the money is available for any mass transit project but excludes the SKYWAY by name! DUMB!

In the original plan the Skyway was to go into San Marco (FLOODED TODAY), Springfield at Shands Hospital, (FLOODED TODAY), Riverside-Brooklyn (FLOODED TODAY). Live here and you better buy a boat.

OCKLAWAHA

Ahh I got you Ock. Wouldn't the trolleys suffer from the floods also since they are at street level? Putting the Skyway "up in the Sky" was a good Idea I guess. I would seem that the water is suppose to drain to the St. Johns, but the St. Johns is over flowing so where is the water suppose to go? Nieghborhoods that flood like this should have a Skyway Station, but man in time it looks like the flood water is getting deeper. What can Jax do not to become the next New Orleans tragedy?