Hurricane Irma: What county officials will do next once Irma subsides; plus condition info, more

Sept. 11--Here's what we know so far on Sun., Sept. 10:

How long will this curfew last?

Palm Beach County emergency responders will begin assessing damage caused by Hurricane Irma early Monday morning, officials said.

As the storm moves past the area and its winds slow, fire rescue officials and sheriff's deputies will begin surveying the county for downed trees, power lines, and other storm-related damage.

A team of 80 to 100 officials will be sent to the hardest hit areas in the unincorporated part of the county to begin a street-by-street assessment of the storm's wrath. Municipal officials in the city's cities and towns will also be surveying damage.

At 7:45 a.m., emergency responders will hold a conference call to determine whether to continue a mandatory curfew. The curfew is currently in effect countywide.

Once it is determined that roads are clear and it is safe for residents to drive, county officials will begin the process of "demobilizing" hurricane shelters and helping people return to their homes.

How much longer will these winds continue?

Update at 11 p.m. The National Weather Service tweeted that gusts in Palm Beach County can still reach 50 to 70 mph. However, sustained winds should drop below 40 mph by 5 a.m. Monday.

In south county, winds appear to start dropping below the tropical-storm threshhold around 2 a.m., according to the weather service. Closer to West Palm, that drop happens around 4 a.m., along with closer to Jupiter.

See below for a wind speed memo released by the weather service earlier Sunday.

The entire memo:

As of 9:30 p.m., the National Weather Service reported current wind speed as 39 mph, gusting to 68.

Update 2 a.m. on Irma's position

Hurricane Irma has weakened to a Category 1 hurricane with top winds up to 85 mph as it moves 25 miles northeast of Tampa. Irma is projected to become a tropical storm later today as it moves toward the Georgia border.

It is moving northwest at 15 mph, and can't get out of Florida fast enough to suit most residents.

Who's got the power? The update.

At 2 a.m. FPL counts more 3.6 million outages right now. More than 498,000 customers have been restored. As the storm hits central and north Florida, numbers will increase.

As of midnight, FPL's website reports 530,490 in Palm Beach County don't have power, or 72 percent of the county's customers.

Bad news for Boynton

President Trump says he'll visit Florida 'very soon'

President Donald Trump said he'll visit Hurricane Irma-struck Florida very soon. He added he was keeping an eye on the storm's movement.

Storm creates sinkhole in Indiantown community

The entrance to an Indiantown community was destroyed Sunday by a large sinkhole created by Hurricane Irma, the Martin County Sheriff's Office reports.

Crews inspecting damage in the aftermath of the hurricane found the sinkhole near Indianwood Golf & Country Club, the sheriff's office said.

Three save diver from rough waters

A scuba diver was rescued after being trapped in the Intracoastal Waterway off Riviera Beach. Three men were able to pull the diver from the rough waters.

7:30 p.m.: Riviera Beach apartment building roof collapse; about 60 rescued

About 60 people were removed from a building in the Stonybrook apartments after the building's roof was torn off, Riviera Beach Fire Rescue reports.

Emergency crews responded to 1555 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd at about 6 p.m. and found roof damage. City police have deployed an armed vehicle and are working to remove residents.

County to west Boynton: Stay off the roads

Palm Beach County emergency managers are urging residents in suburban Boynton Beach to stay off the roads until law enforcement officials can assess damage caused by Hurricane Irma. A countywide curfew is still in effect.

Ft. Lauderdale airport to remain shut down Monday

The Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport will remain closed on Monday. Airport officials are in the process of "assessing damages and making necessary repairs."

"We are working closely with airlines and partners to open FLL as soon as we are ready to resume operations," the airport said in a tweet posted late Sunday. "Travelers should contact their airline for the latest flight information.'

No garbage pickup in Boynton on Monday

Boynton Beach will be suspending garbage pickup Monday. Instead, crews will be out clearing debris after Hurricane Irma. If you see debris, including trees blocking roads, call 561-742-6200.

In Delray Beach, drink the water, but that's it

Delray Beach is asking its residents to drink its tap water -- but not to use it for anything else. That includes bathing, washing, toilet flushing or anything else.

The reason, Delray officials said, is to avoid a sewage backup. There are electrical outages at 70 percent of the city's sewage pumping stations, and the fear is that usual use of water will create backups.

County's shelter population drops slightly

Palm Beach County's shelter population is down to 16,800, as of 8 p.m. It was at 17,200 at 1 p.m.

The potential cost of Harvey and Irma: $290 billion

According to AccuWeather, the devastation of two Category 4 hurricanes isn't just to buildings and people, it's economic.

Joel Myers, AccuWeather's founder, president and chairman, said between the two storms, damage will reach $290 billion.

It's not just Florida fearing Irma

Seeing that torrent tearing up our coast, folks up there have taken storm prep to heart hitting the gas stations and grocery stores.

As of Saturday, 14 percent of Atlanta gas stations were out of fuel, while in Savannah it's a much worse situation, with 27 percent of stations out of gas, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Just as familiar, residents cleared the grocery shelves of bottled water.

Update 7 p.m.: Curfew for Martin Co.

Martin County has made one looting arrest, County Sheriff William Snyder told WPTV just before 7 p.m.

Charge those phones while you can

Verizon said about 5 percent of its Florida network sites were operating on battery power because of commercial power outages as of early Sunday afternoon.

At 3:50 p.m. Tornado warning over most of West Palm Beach. It extends to 4:15 p.m.

Update on local gusts

At 3 p.m. National Weather Service is reporting

In Delray Beach sustained winds of 52 mph, gusts up to 78 mph

In West Palm Beach sustained winds of 51 mph, gusts up to 76 mph

In Boynton Beach sustained winds of 52 mph, gusts upto 78 mph

Not surprising then to hear scattered reports of downed trees, toppled power lines and debris strewn across the streets.

Got property damage?

The state's Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis and Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier offered these 4 tips for residents whose property has been damaged as a result of the storm.

Florida Atlantic University extends closure to Tuesday

In case you need it spelled out, FAU's press office elaborates:

--All classes are canceled through Tuesday, Sept. 12

--All FAU campuses are closed through Tuesday, Sept. 12

--All residence halls on all campuses are closed

--All events are canceled through Tuesday, Sept. 12

Update 2:25 p.m. Tornado warning has been posted for northeastern Broward County and southeastern Palm Beach County in southeastern Florida. It extends to 2:45 p.m.

Who's got the power?

Update at 2 p.m.: As many as 3 million Florida Power & Light customers might not have power before the storm is done with the state, FPL officials said in a 40-minute briefing at the company's command center.

At that briefing the outages stood at 2,010,240 customer accounts -- or about 4 million people -- at 1:45 p.m. Sunday and were expected to increase throughout the day.

When you count the more than 339,000 customers whose power was at some point restored, outages have affected about 2.25 million accounts, or 4 million people in FPL's 35-county territory.

At noon -- the most recent county-by-county breakdown available -- 227,050 Palm Beach County customers were without power as well as 488,650 in Broward County and 726,610 in Miami-Dade County.

Irma continues to churn toward SW Florida

Update at 2 p.m.: Hurricane Irma, located about 35 miles south of Naples, has top winds at 120 mph as it picks up speed heading toward southwest Florida.

The storm's toll

As of 7 am today, 127,000 people were in shelters across Florida, according to FEMA's daily operations briefing.

Also reported: 580,000 people in Puerto Rico are in need of water after Irma devastated the island last week. Another 341,000 are without water in the US Virgin Islands.

Hurricane doesn't curb drug overdoses

Two drug overdoses at a unnamed county shelters have been confirmed by county officials. State Attorney Dave Aronberg said both people were revived and taken to the hospital. These aren't to be confused with the heroin fatality in a hotel in Boynton Beach.

Update at 1:15 p.m.: A recap from the midday press conference from the Palm Beach County EOC:

- Don't go outside, there's still a curfew and violators have already been arrested.

- If you have damaged property, report it using the county's PBC DART app. And don't go outside to take the photo of damage until the weather clears.

- The storm is expected to dump 7 to 12 inches of rain over Lake Okeechobee, but Jonathan Jenkens, a water manager with the Army Corps of Engineers said the risk of water over washing the dike around the lake is "diminishing" as Hurricane Irma's track shifts left.

-Isolated flooding has been reported.

-Courts are closed Monday. Public schools in Palm Beach and Martin counties are closed Monday and Tuesday.

-Shelters still need nurse volunteers (see below for details)

- reporter Jennifer Sorentrue

Don't go outside, the worst is yet to come

Update at 12:30 p.m. : Palm Beach County emergency managers urged residents to stay indoors today, saying the worst of Hurricane Irma's winds and rains have yet to move through the area.

"This storm has been extremely unpredictable," County Administrator Verdenia Baker said. "It is important to remain inside."

The county has received minor reports of damage, including felled trees, downed powerlines, and minor flooding. There are no reports of major structural damage.

- reporter Jennifer Sorentrue

About that curfew

Update 12:55 p.m. Since the county's curfew went into effect Saturday at 3 p.m, 45 people had been charged for violating it as of 2 p.m., the sheriff's office said Sunday.

Of those 45, 25 were arrested on the curfew charge alone, the sheriff's office said. Twenty others were arrested for breaking the curfew as well as other charges. They'll stay in jail until the curfew is listed, he said.

See Olivia Hitchcock's full story here

Emergency Operations officials broke it down this way: 43 people charged with curfew violations; at least 25 in custody.

In Martin County, they don't have a curfew, but..

At an afternoon press conference, the Sheriff there is calling for a voluntary one. County Sheriff William Snyder urged residents to stay off the roads.

"If you come out in these conditions we think that is suspicious behavior," Snyder said. "Please expect to be stopped."

Snyder also says at least one home on Bathtub Beach has significant damage. Because of traffic in the area, only local traffic will be allowed on the island, Snyder said.

Since you aren't supposed to be outdoors, this is what it looks like in WPB:

Are the lights on?

Update just before noon: Outages stood at 1.63 million FPL customer accounts -- or about 3 million people -- at noon and are expected to increase throughout the day. Including 325,385 customers restored, outages have affected almost 2 million accounts, or 4 million people in FPL's 35-county territory.

At noon, 214,480 Palm Beach County customers were without power as well as 450,060 in Broward County and 680,940 in Miami-Dade County. -- reporter Susan Salisbury

Update at 11 a.m.: School's out through Tuesday in Palm Beach County

Superintendent Robert Avossa pulled the plug Sunday morning.

Teachers have taken to Facebook wondering how they could possibly get back by Tuesday, and from his conversations on Twitter yesterday, Palm Beach County Schools Superintendent Robert Avossa has acknowledged the challenge and hinted he'll have more to say shortly. (No schools Tuesday in Martin Co. either.)

Water rescue in Martin

Two people who were weathering Hurricane Irma on a sailboat anchored in Martin County needed a lift Sunday morning from the "treacherous waters," sheriff's authorities said.

Video shows a sheriff's office boat rocking alongside the sailboat and rescuing its two passengers. It is unclear exactly where in Martin County the boaters were anchored. -- reporter Olivia Hitchcock

Update: It's this windy

From overnight: Trees falling on houses in West Palm Beach

"We're hearing a fair amount of trees that are down across the city -- north end, south end, along Village Boulevard," city communications director Kathleen Walter said.

There was one report of a tree down on a house, pinching wires, at 927 8th St.

Another tree fell on a car at 621 52nd St.

There's also a tree on a roof at 1607 44th St. The homeowner is OK.

Since the declaration of a state of emergency, the city has fielded 400 calls to its 822-2222 help hotline, not including several hundred others to the police and fire departments.

A power update

At 9:50 a.m. FPL reported 1,378,773 total outages including 135,730 in Palm Beach County. And the lights, by the way, have flickered at FPL's command center.

To our south, FPL reports 360,750 customers without power in Broward and 574,490 in Miami-Dade.

At 9:40 a.m. A tornado warning for the northeast corner of Palm Beach County was issued and is in effect until 10 a.m. A storm capable of producing a tornado was spotted over Port of Palm Beach or near Riviera Beach and headed northwest.

This will expire, but the county is also under a tornado watch until noon -- meaning conditions are ripe for one, a flood watch until Monday and is also among seven South Florida counties under a Hurricane Warning.

Update on Lake Worth power

At 9:30 a.m. The city has reported 544 power outages over night and crews have restored power to 284 customers.

The turtles made it to safety in Georgia and the lions of Lion Country are roaring this morning -- an update from Loggerhead Marine Life Center, the Palm Beach Zoo and Lion Country Safari

Turtles from Loggerhead Marine Life Center have successfully escaped Irma's path and are safe and sound in a Georgia aquarium where they will continue to receive the care they needed.

Lion Country says the animals are doing well some trees and an awning on property not so much. The park has lost power. Little Mama, the oldest living chimpanzee on record is well. And, "The lions are VERY vocal this morning."

At the Palm Beach Zoo, some limbs are down at daybreak, but all the animals are safe.

Little Mama dines on greens at Lion Country. Photo courtesy Lion Country Safari.

Update for Martin Co.: Today is a great day to play Monopoly

Hutchinson Island residents will get water service restored at 10 a.m. Monday. It was turned off early this morning in advance of Hurricane Irma's strongest winds to protect the integrity of the system. The shutdown applies only to Hutchinson Island, not all barrier islands in Martin County. Once water is restored, the area will remain under a boil water order for 48 hours, officials said.

Martin County Sheriff William Snyder urged residents to stay off the roads."Today is a great day to play Monopoly," he said.

Update on power

At 9 a.m.: FPL customers without power has reached 1,243,328. That includes 103,900 customers in Palm Beach County. Meanwhile, FPL crews have restored power to 302,494 customers including 29,670 in Palm Beach County.

Update on shelters

As of 8 a.m. 17,543 people in shelters, up from 17,263 at 7:30 p.m. last night.

Two shelters are full --Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary and West Gate Elementary. They are diverting people from three shelters -- Seminole Ridge High School, Forest Hill High School and Boynton Beach High School.

Update on wind conditions

At 7:30 a.m. Palm Beach County due to see during the worst of it sustained winds of 60 mph between 2 p.m.-8 p.m. today, says South Florida Water Management District officials.

Update, 6:55 a.m.: News and notes from south county:

Update, 6:27 a.m.: A tornado warning for areas of Palm Beach County including Boynton Beach, Wellington and the Acreage is in effect until 7 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.

As of 6 a.m. Sunday, 317,440 Florida Power & Light customers were without power in its 35-county territory, with outages reported clockwise around Florida from north of Jacksonville to the Keys to Tampa Bay. Meanwhile, FPL had restored 202, 120 customers' power since midnight Saturday.

» Hurricane Irma: Get the latest news and info on the storm

In Palm Beach County, 22,540 FPL customers had no power, while 38,770 had power restored.

In Broward County, 97,370 customers had outages, while 39,190 had power restored.

Miami-Dade County had the most outages at 191,250, while 97,110 had power restored.

Update, 5:30 a.m.: More than 10 inches of rain associated with Hurricane Irma fell during a four-hour period early Sunday in Fort Pierce, the National Weather Service's Melbourne office reports.

A 1-mile stretch of U.S. 1 from Orange Avenue to Virginia Avenue was impassable because of flooding.

At 4 a.m., Fort Pierce had already set a record for rainfall on Sept. 10, the weather service said.

Update, 5 a.m.: Hurricane Irma was 40 miles south-southeast of Key West at 5 a.m. with sustained winds of 130 mph.

It is a Category 4 hurricane moving at a crawling 8 mph.

At its 11 p.m. advisory, the National Hurricane Center said Irma's scrape of the Cuban coastline affected its intensity, dropping its winds to 120 mph temporarily.

An overdose in Boynton Beach

Update, 4:50 a.m.: Boynton Beach Police say they found a 23-year-old woman dead due to an overdose. The woman was found at The Inn, on Boynton Beach Boulevard east of Interstate 95.

Update, 4:30 a.m.: Hurricane Irma was 55 miles south-southeast of Key West at 4 a.m. this morning with sustained winds at 130 mph.

It is a Category 4 hurricane moving at a crawling 6 mph.

Click here for updates.

Update, 4:05 a.m.: As of 2 a.m. Sunday, 243,310 Florida Power & Light customers were without power in its 35-county territory, with outages reported clockwise around Florida from north of Jacksonville to the Keys to Tampa Bay.

In Palm Beach County, 28,960 FPL customers had no power.

Update, 3:55 a.m.: A tornado warning has been issued for coastal areas from Boynton Beach south into Broward County and including Delray Beach and Boca Raton.

The warning is in effect until 4:15 a.m.

Update: 3:30 a.m.: A flash flood warning has been issued for Fort Pierce, White City and other nearby communities in St. Lucie County. It is expected to remain active through 5:15 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.

The weather service says there's been numerous reports of impassable roads in Fort Pierce along with water entering home.

___

(c)2017 The Palm Beach Post (West Palm Beach, Fla.)

Visit The Palm Beach Post (West Palm Beach, Fla.) at www.palmbeachpost.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.