Bay County sheriff announces end of curfew for heavily damaged area of Panama City Beach
PANAMA CITY BEACH − The overnight curfew has been lifted for a section of the Beach devastated by the Tuesday morning storm.
In an email on Thursday afternoon, the Bay County Sheriff's Office announced the end of the 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew, which went into effect Tuesday in response to storm damages. It was for areas south of the Grand Lagoon Bridge, east of Hurt Street off Thomas Drive, to St. Andrews State Park.
"All streets into the area are now open for normal traffic at all hours," the email reads.
The damages were caused by two rounds of severe weather that swept over Panhandle between midnight and 6 a.m. on Tuesday. The National Weather Service has since confirmed that an EF-3 tornado touched down in Bay County.
The storm left numerous properties damaged or destroyed, at least five people severely injured and about 100 households displaced. Areas that were most damaged were the Grand Lagoon region in Panama City Beach, and Bayou George and Resota lane in northern Bay County.
The aftermath: 'Another undertaking': Bay County begins recovery from the destruction of Tuesday's storm
Six people have since been arrested for looting damaged properties.
"(Bay County) Sheriff Tommy Ford will maintain additional deputies on patrol," the email reads.
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Curfew ends for Panama City Beach area devastated by Tuesday storm
