Live updates: Multiple bridges close, curfew begins in Volusia for Hurricane Nicole

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Tropical Storm Nicole grew even stronger overnight, with sustained winds at 70 mph, according to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center.

On the forecast track, the center of Nicole is expected to make landfall along the east coast of Florida within the hurricane warning area tonight as a Category 1 hurricane, with winds of 75 mph.

Nicole's center is then forecast to move across central and northern Florida into southern Georgia Thursday and Thursday night, and then into the Carolinas Friday.

— Cheryl McCloud and Diane Pantaleo

Thursday updates on Tropical Storm Nicole:  What to expect in Volusia and Flagler counties today

Now it's serious: Where is Jim Cantore? Weather Channel meteorologist spotted in Daytona Beach area

Latest weather: Tropical Storm Nicole winds up to 70 mph. Track storm and possible impacts in Daytona Beach

Residents prepare for storm: As Nicole looms, Volusia beachside residents, hotels brace for another tropical assault

9:00 p.m. | Bridge updates

Volusia County officials released the following updates about bridges:

• Granada Bridge - The bridge is open but law enforcement will be enforcing curfew

• Seabreeze Bridge - Closed eastbound, residents can exit

• Main Street Bridge - Closed eastbound, residents can exit

• International Speedway Boulevard Bridge - Closed eastbound, residents can exit

• Veterans Memorial Bridge - Closed eastbound, residents can exit

• Dunlawton Bridge - Closed eastbound, residents can exit

• North Causeway in New Smyrna Beach - Closed both directions

• South Causeway in New Smyrna Beach - Closed both directions

8:05 p.m. | More bridges close

In addition to the Dunlawton Bridge, the International Speedway Boulevard Bridge, the Seabreeze Bridge and the Veterans Memorial Bridge are closed, according to Volusia County government.

― Sheldon Gardner

7:15 p.m. | Dunlawton Bridge closes

The Dunlawton Bridge is closed, according to Volusia County government.

― Sheldon Gardner

6:26 p.m. | Jim Cantore live in Daytona Beach Shores

Despite previous reports from Volusia County’s Emergency Management Director Jim Judge that Jim Cantore of The Weather Channel had left Daytona Beach Shores and headed to Vero Beach, the famous meteorologist appeared live Wednesday evening from Volusia County.

Cantore was reporting from the Dunlawton Approach in Daytona Beach Shores where the Volusia County Beach Safety District 5 Office had been submerged into the Atlantic Ocean earlier this morning. He interviewed Daytona Beach Shores Public Safety Director Mike Fowler as Tropical Storm Nicole was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane and continued moving toward Florida.

6:08 p.m. | Bridges to close for curfew

Volusia County bridges that cross the Intracoastal Waterway will be closed in both directions once curfew begins at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. The public won't be allowed to cross west to the beaches after this time.

However, if sustained wind speeds stay under 39 miles per hour, beachside residents may still leave at any time.

5:30 p.m. | Curfew approaches in Volusia County

On Tuesday, the Volusia County Council issued an emergency countywide curfew to protect and safeguard the health, safety and welfare of Volusia County residents and visitors. The curfew will be in effect from 7 p.m. Wednesday to 7 a.m. Thursday.

The curfew does not apply to:

• Regular members of law enforcement bodies.

• Regular employees of business, industries or government entities while traveling from their jobs.

• All emergency workers.

Any person who knowingly violates this ordinance shall, upon conviction, be subject to a fine of up to $500 and/or imprisonment in the county jail for up to 60 days.

— Sheldon Gardner

4:04 p.m. | University High School shelter closes

The shelter at University High School in Orange City has closed. Only four individuals had sought shelter there so far and have since been transferred to Heritage Middle School.

Three pet-friendly shelters remain open in Volusia County:

• Creekside Middle School: 6801 Airport Road, Port Orange (general population)

• Heritage Middle School: 1001 Parnell Court, Deltona (general population and special needs)

• David C. Hinson Middle School: 1860 N. Clyde Morris Blvd., Daytona Beach (special needs)

3:56 p.m. | Serious erosion threatens oceanfront properties

Local officials continue to report serious coastal erosion and beachfront property damage as Tropical Storm Nicole heads toward Florida.

One home lost its jacuzzi and decking Wednesday morning, and another home had erosion so severe that there was only about 15 feet left behind their back wall and the water, Daytona Beach Chief Building Official Glen Urquhart said.

Seawalls were damaged, at least one property lost its pool deck, and others were losing the sod in their backyards.

Some of the properties along State Road A1A in Daytona Beach lost another 20 feet of their dune Wednesday, Urquhart said.

— Eileen Zaffiro

3:45 p.m. | Jim Cantore leaves Volusia, now "outside the cone"

Good news: Jim Cantore has left Daytona Beach! The Weather Channel meteorologist, famous for chasing the worst storms, has gone to Vero Beach, according to a county emergency official. His departure is no doubt tied to the fact that Daytona Beach is now “outside the cone” and Vero appears to be a more likely landfall target for Tropical Storm Nicole.

“We did have Jim Cantore in town earlier today,” said Volusia County’s Emergency Management Director Jim Judge at a briefing Wednesday afternoon. “Now he’s down in Vero Beach, maybe that’s a good sign for Volusia County.”

But with such a massive storm, disaster officials are still urging residents to exercise extreme caution.

“By no means are we out of harm’s way,” Judge said.

Especially when it comes to the area’s ravaged beaches.

— John Dunbar

2:51 p.m. | Several Daytona Beach Shores buildings being evacuated

Daytona Beach Shores shared that several condominium and resort buildings within the city are being evacuated for safety:

• St. Kitts Condominiums: 2855 S. Atlantic Ave.

• Grand Coquina: 3333 S. Atlantic Ave.

• Dimucci Twin Towers North and South: 3311 and 3315 S. Atlantic Ave.

• Marbella Condominiums: 3343 S. Atlantic Ave.

• Pirates Cove: 3501 S. Atlantic Ave.

• Sunglow Resort: 3647 S. Atlantic Ave.

2:39 p.m. | How to report power outages

As Tropical Storm Nicole approaches, power outages have not yet been widespread. Florida Power & Light is reporting about 180 customers without service in Volusia and Flagler counties. Duke Energy is only reporting a handful of outages in Volusia.

Volusia County warns residents not to touch or go near a downed line. Report it to your power company and the Citizens Information Center at 866-345-0345.

• FPL: fpl.com, 800-468-8243

• Duke Energy: duke-energy.com, 800-228-8485

• New Smyrna Beach Utilities: nsbufl.com, 386-427-1366

• Clay Electric: clayelectric.com, 888-434-9844

12:58 p.m. | More beach buildings at risk, sheriff says

In a beachside video posted to Twitter, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood provided an update to residents.

"The storm is nowhere near us yet, but you can see the surge that is coming forward," he said. "There are dozens upon dozens of buildings that have been declared structurally unsafe here along the beach in Volusia County."

The county has issued mandatory evacuations for beachside residents and a curfew for all residents starting at 7 p.m.

The objective is to keep unwanted traffic off the street, Chitwood said, noting the risk it poses to first responders when residents go out in unsafe conditions.

"We're looking for a really rough night here," he said, adding that they were fearful that several buildings would collapse.

12:50 p.m. | National Hurricane Center provides update

Michael Brennan, acting deputy director of the National Hurricane Center, gave an update on Hurricane Nicole in a livestream video this morning.

Nicole is "still generally on track for a landfall (as a category 1 hurricane) generally along the central portion of the eastern Florida coastline, somewhere between West Palm Beach and the Space Coast," he said.

Landfall in Florida is currently forecasted to occur around 1 a.m. Thursday.

"Wind impacts will certainly be felt especially on the north side (of the hurricane's center)," Brennan said. "We are going to see expansive areas of coastal flooding potential, gusty winds and power outages that occur in association with Nicole."

Hurricane warnings continue to be in place, "from Boca Raton to Daytona Beach" with tropical storm warnings north of that all the way up the Atlantic coast to Georgia and South Carolina.

— Clayton Park

12:43 p.m. | Daytona Beach Shores buildings take a beating

By late morning, the pool deck at the Hyatt Place Daytona Beach in Daytona Beach Shores had been swept away.

Strong waves and storm surge are also sinking the Volusia County Beach Safety District 5 Office in Daytona Beach Shores into the Atlantic Ocean.

12:41 p.m. | First Step Shelter at capacity

By 12:13 p.m. First Step Shelter at 3889 W. International Speedway, which assists the homeless, said it was at capacity and was asking that no more people be bussed to the facility. The shelter already has 60 residents and room for 30 more, said Executive Director Victoria Fahlberg.

Those 30 people have already signed up to be at the facility, she said.

Overnight between 90 and 100 people, including the shelter's staff, are expected to be at the facility, Fahlberg said.

— Patricio Balona

12:17 p.m. | New Smyrna Beach offers sandbags, hotline

New Smyrna Beach is providing free sand and empty sandbags at the field located south of the Sports Complex football stadium at 2335 Sunset Dr. The site was replenished at 11 a.m. today and will be available “indefinitely.” Residents must bring their own shovel.

Residents can call the Citizen Information Center at 386-402-7675 for updated information 24 hours a day starting Wednesday at 1 p.m. until Friday, Nov. 11 at 5 p.m. The Center will then remain open Saturday, Nov. 12 and Sunday, Nov. 13 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Solid waste collection will be suspended on Thursday and resume on Friday. The makeup day for Thursday’s collection will be Saturday.

— Brenno Carillo

12:07 p.m. | Parts of State Road A1A closed

Flagler Beach Police stated that South Oceanshore Boulevard is closed from South Seventh Street to South 16th Street due to extreme high surf along with rock debris from Tropical Storm Nicole, according to a Facebook post. The Police Department asks people to stay indoors during the storm if they don’t have to be on the roads.

Flagler County Emergency Management also posted that North A1A at the St. Johns and Flagler County line is closed due to debris and ocean breach of the roadway. The Flagler County Sheriff's Office is asking people to stay off the barrier island.

— Frank Fernandez

11:50 a.m. | Publix, Winn Dixie stores to close early

The following Publix grocery stores in Volusia County will close at 4 p.m. today and are expected to reopen at 10 a.m. tomorrow:

• #1755: 101 E. Granada Blvd., Ormond Beach

• #1290: 1258 Ocean Shore Blvd., Ormond Beach

• #1455: 3044 S. Atlantic Avenue, Daytona Beach Shores

• #814: 2595 N. Atlantic Avenue, Daytona Beach

• #229: 709 E. 3rd Avenue, New Smyrna Beach

"As we monitor Tropical Storm Nicole’s path and potential impact, hours may be adjusted, and the status of individual stores is subject to change," Spokeswoman Hannah Herring wrote in an email. "As always, our priority remains on the safety of our associates, customers and communities. The most up-to-date information regarding store status is available at www.publix.com/storm."

The Daytona Beach Shores Winn Dixie has also closed. The Winn Dixie in New Smyrna Beach will close at 3 p.m. The Winn Dixie stores in Holly Hill and Ormond Beach will close at 4 p.m. The stores in DeBary, DeLand and Deltona will close at 5 p.m.

— Clayton Park

11:33 a.m. | Emergency aid approved for Volusia, Flagler, St. Johns

In response to Tropical Storm Nicole, President Biden on Wednesday approved federal emergency aid to 45 Florida counties, along with the Miccosukee Tribe and Seminole Tribe.

The presidential action authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate all disaster relief efforts.

Volusia and Flagler counties were among those approved for aid, as well as the surrounding counties of St. Johns, Putnam, Marion, Lake, Seminole, Orange and Brevard.

— Sergio Bustos

11:23 a.m. | Port Orange prepares for storm

City Manager Wayne Clark said sandbags will be provided until noon on Wednesday at the Port Orange gymnasium at the City Center Complex. Residents need to bring their own shovel and ID to show proof of residency. There is a 10-bag limit.

The city also announced in a Facebook post yesterday that “there will be no garbage, recycle or large claw pick-up on Thursday. The makeup day will be Saturday, Nov. 12,” when residents should have items on the curbside by 7 a.m. for collection.

Mayor Don Burnette said the city’s emergency operations center will be activated at 2 p.m. this afternoon. He encouraged residents with issued related to the storm to call the Call Center at 386-506-5599.

— Brenno Carillo

11:11 a.m. | Wilbur-by-the-Sea homes on the verge of collapse

Residents are furiously shoring up three homes in the 4100 block of South Atlantic Avenue in Wilbur-by-the-Sea with sand bags as the houses teeter on the edge of collapsing into the Atlantic Ocean. The beach behind the homes was seriously eroded by Tropical Storm Ian in September.

— David Tucker

11:05 a.m. | Daytona Beach in local state of emergency

On Tuesday, the mayor signed a declaration for a local state of emergency for the city of Daytona Beach. The declaration, which is valid for a period of seven days, allows the city to take emergency measures to protect the health and safety of city residents and to protect against property damage from Tropical Storm Nicole.

— Eileen Zaffiro

11:02 a.m. | Accommodations available on mainland

As residents prepare for Tropical Storm Nicole, evacuees seeking accommodations on the mainland side of the Daytona Beach area can find a list online at bit.ly/3TmzI9U. In addition, VISIT FLORIDA has activated the Emergency Accommodations Module on Expedia.com at expedia.com/florida to provide real-time hotel and lodging availability for impacted Floridians and visitors.

— Eileen Zaffiro

11:01 a.m. | Daytona Beach facilities to close

Daytona Beach City Hall, community centers and facilities will be closing at noon today and remain closed Thursday due to Tropical Storm Nicole. City emergency and public safety staff will continue to monitor the track of the storm and provide essential services. City facilities will reopen Friday. 11. Storm updates are posted at www.CODB.us/Storm

— Eileen Zaffiro

10:59 a.m. | Daytona Beach Utilities preparing for storm

With memories fresh from severe flooding in late September with Tropical Storm Ian, Daytona Beach Utilities Department employees have been preparing the city for Tropical Storm Nicole.

City crews are testing emergency pumps and generators; fueling all vehicles, equipment and containers; checking and clearing debris from storm inlets; and placing pumps in areas around Butts Pond, Gardener Court and Fairway Estates. They're also maintaining capacity in the Butts and North Street stormwater ponds, which are 3 feet below normal levels. Madison Pond and a pond located to the north of Kottle Circle are also being pumped down.

— Eileen Zaffiro

10:58 a.m. | Storm hotline available

The Daytona Beach Citizen Hotline will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Thursday for residents with questions about the storm. The number to call is (386) 671-5555.

— Eileen Zaffiro

10:56 a.m. | Sandbags available in Daytona Beach

Sandbags will be available from 8 a.m. to noon today, weather permitting, for Daytona Beach residents and business owners at Bethune Point Park, 11 Bellevue Ave. Residents are asked to bring their own shovel to pick up sandbags.

Public Works staff will be on site to assist, as needed. There is no charge for sandbags and there is a 10-bag limit per vehicle.

— Eileen Zaffiro

10:55 a.m. | Modified garbage collection in Daytona Beach

In Daytona Beach, residential and commercial garbage collections will continue today and will be suspended for Thursday. Collection for Thursday’s route will be Friday, and Friday collections will be Saturday.

Residents are encouraged to bring their garbage cans and recycling bins inside their garage or secured for the duration of the storm. Normal collections are expected to resume Monday.

— Eileen Zaffiro

10:46 a.m. | County solid waste changes announced

Regular waste collection service for unincorporated areas in Volusia County will take place 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. today. Waste pickup normally scheduled for Thursday has been canceled and has been tentatively rescheduled for Saturday, so residents in unincorporated areas shouldn't put bins or yard trash to the curb on Thursday.

Normal solid waste collection guidelines are in effect. Yard trash is limited to 4 cubic yards per week, and limbs can't exceed 4 feet in length or 1 foot in diameter. Whole trees aren't included in yard waste service. For details go to volusia.org/pin.

Residents of a city should check with their local government about solid waste pickup.

Also, the Tomoka Landfill and West Volusia Transfer Station will close at 4 p.m. today and will reopen on Friday if weather allows.

— Sheldon Gardner

10:44 a.m. | Votran announces changes, fare suspension

Votran will suspend fares today and Friday. Service will be suspended on the beachside starting at 7 p.m. today, and Votran won't operate on Thursday. Service will resume on Friday if weather allows.

Votran service will be suspended at other times if conditions become dangerous.

People who are evacuating and need transportation to county shelters can go to the following locations starting at 10 a.m. today:

• Transfer Plaza in Daytona Beach

• Julia and Sams Connection Point in New Smyrna Beach

• Market Place Superstop in Orange City

— Sheldon Gardner

10:42 a.m. | Daytona airport, other services to close

The Marine Science Center will be closed through Friday and will reopen Saturday if weather allows.

Volusia County court facilities will be closed today and Thursday because of the storm, and they will be closed Friday for Veterans Day.

Florida Department of Health offices in Volusia County will be closed today and Thursday.

Volusia County library branches will close at 5 p.m. today, except for the Daytona Regional Library, which will close at noon today.

The Daytona Beach International Airport will close at 12:30 p.m. All flights after this time will be canceled, with the exception of government, emergency and humanitarian aircraft. The airport is scheduled to reopen at 4 a.m. Friday. Passengers should check with their airlines for updates to flight schedules.

— Sheldon Gardner

10:41 a.m. | Bridge closed to marine traffic in New Smyrna Beach

The Florida Department of Transportation has locked down the North Causeway Bridge in New Smyrna Beach to marine traffic. The bridge will stay closed to marine traffic during the storm and will be reopened when transportation officials determine it's safe.

Other bridges in Volusia will close to vehicle and pedestrian traffic when sustained winds reach 39 mph.

— Sheldon Gardner

10:13 a.m. | Volusia County shelters open, evacuation order begins

Four Volusia County shelters, all of which are pet-friendly, were slated to open by 10 a.m. Wednesday:

• Hinson Middle School (special needs) at 1860 N. Clyde Morris Blvd., Daytona Beach.

• Heritage Middle School (special needs) at 1001 Parnell Court, Deltona.

• Creekside Middle School (general population) at 6801 Airport Road, Port Orange.

• University High School (general population) at 1000 W. Rhode Island Ave., Orange City.

Volusia County issued evacuation orders starting at 10 a.m. on Wednesday for all areas of the Intracoastal Waterway; all manufactured and mobile home residents east of Interstate 95; residents in all low-lying areas; residents in any other areas prone to flooding; and any and all RV parks and all campsites.

10:05 a.m. | Flagler County issues evacuation orders, shelter to open

Flagler County is issuing evacuation orders effective 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday for residents in Zone A, the barrier island from Flagler Beach to Marineland and mobile homes and RVs across the county.

“We urge those who are going to stay with relatives, friends or at hotels to complete their evacuation by noon,” Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord said in a statement. “This will clear that traffic by the time the evacuation order is effective."

Rymfire Elementary, located at 1425 Rymfire Drive in Palm Coast, will open as a shelter for the general population, special needs and pets at 3:30 p.m.

Residents are encouraged to arrive by 8 p.m. and bring their own bedding and supplies.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Hurricane Nicole updates: Volusia curfew in effect, bridges close