Live updates: Volusia orders mandatory evacuations, issues curfew ahead of Tropical Storm Nicole

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Nicole is now a tropical storm as it makes a turn to the west, according to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center.

A hurricane warning has been issued for Florida's East Coast, from Boca Raton to the Flagler/Volusia County line. Flagler County is under a hurricane watch.

Nicole is forecast to become a hurricane before making landfall along Florida's East Coast, possibly Wednesday or Thursday.

Current estimates put Nicole's winds at 75 mph within 36 hours, making it a Category 1 hurricane. A storm becomes a hurricane when sustained winds hit 74 mph.

— Cheryl McCloud

5:43 p.m. | Daytona Beach airport to close ahead of Tropical Storm Nicole

The Daytona Beach International Airport terminal building and airfield will close at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, due to Tropical Storm Nicole. All flights after this time are canceled, except for government, emergency and humanitarian aircraft.

The airport is scheduled to reopen at 4 a.m. Friday, Nov. 11. Passengers should check with their airlines for updates to flight schedules.

— Clayton Park

5:40 p.m. | Courts to close in Volusia and Flagler counties

Courts will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday in Volusia and Flagler counties, according to an order by Chief Judge James Clayton.

Courts will remain open on Wednesday in St. Johns and Putnam counties but will close on Thursday.

Courts were already set to be closed in Volusia, Flagler, St. Johns and Putnam counties on Friday for Veterans Day.

Courts will reopen on Monday if weather and circumstances allow, according to the email from court administration.

— Frank Fernandez

4:13 p.m. | Volusia County issues curfew

The Volusia County Council has 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

3:55 p.m. | DeLand announces closures

City offices will be closed beginning at noon Wednesday through Thursday due to Tropical Storm Nicole.

Mayor Robert F. Apgar signed an emergency declaration Tuesday morning and urged all residents to prepare for conditions to deteriorate beginning Wednesday evening through the end of Thursday. Inland Volusia is expecting 45-60 mph winds, with gusts of up to 75 mph, and between 4 to 6 inches of rain, during the storm's peak according to latest projections from the National Weather Service office in Melbourne.

“People need to take this storm very seriously,” Apgar said in a press release. “You need to finish your preparations as quickly as possible and be ready to ride out this storm.”

For those needing sandbags, operations have been extended until 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The sandbag station is located in the parking lot near Melching Field at the corner of East Hubbard Avenue and South Woodland Boulevard.

Sand and bags will be on site as well as a limited number of shovels for residents. Bring your ID for proof of residency.

There will be a limit of 10 bags per residence.

3:03 p.m. | Volusia orders mandatory evacuations in parts of county

As Tropical Storm Nicole shifted its track and gained strength Tuesday, Volusia County officials announced that a mandatory evacuation would be in effect for some residents.

The evacuation order will be in effect starting 10 a.m. Wednesday and applies to all areas east 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, county spokesman Kevin Captain said.

Officials cited areas that are already severely weakened after Tropical Storm Ian, and said they issued the evacuation order out of an abundance of caution.

County Manager George Recktenwald encouraged all residents to take the storm seriously.

"This incoming storm is a direct threat to both property and life," he said. "If you live in an area that has been issued a mandatory evacuation order, please follow this order."

County officials haven't decided yet when they will lift the evacuation order, Interim Emergency Management Director Jim Judge said.

— Sheldon Gardner

2:32 p.m. | Flagler Beach city offices to close ahead of storm

Flagler Beach administrative offices will be closed to the public on Wednesday and Thursday due to Tropical Storm Nicole, according to an email from Katie Dockhorn, assistant to the city manager.

The offices were already going to close on Friday, in observance of Veterans Day, Dockhorn wrote. The city is postponing the Veterans Day ceremony originally set for 1 p.m. on Thursday at Veterans Park to another date.

There will be no recycling pick-up on Wednesday and no trash pick-up on Thursday. Weather permitting, there will be a citywide trash pick-up scheduled for Friday.

The regular City Commission meeting originally scheduled for Thursday has been re-scheduled for Nov. 17 at 5:30 p.m. in the City of Flagler Beach Commission Chambers.

— Frank Fernandez

2:05 p.m. | Volusia schools to open as hurricane shelters

Four shelters, all of which are pet-friendly, will open by 10 a.m. on 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.

— Danielle Johnson

2:03 p.m. | Volusia cancels school Wednesday and Thursday

Volusia County Schools announced on Facebook Tuesday afternoon that all public schools and administrative offices will be closed on Wednesday, Nov. 9, and Thursday, Nov. 10. No school-sponsored activities will occur during that time.

"Superintendent (Carmen) Balgobin is in constant communication with the Volusia County Emergency Management Center regarding the impending storm," the post stated.

— Danielle Johnson

 12:02 p.m. | Flagler County closes beach access ahead of Nicole

Flagler County Parks and Recreation is closing all its dune walkovers and beach access points – effective immediately – for safety reasons for the duration of Tropical Storm Nicole, according to a release sent Tuesday.

“We kindly ask for everyone to please stay clear of these access areas until they reopen them after the storm,” County Administrator Heidi Petito said in the release. “We want everyone to be safe, and there are definitely going to be stronger winds and higher surf than what we are used to experiencing.”

Officials have urged residents and businesses to prepare for tropical-storm-like impacts, including topping off emergency kits and having a destination in mind if evacuations are called for. Those on the barrier island – from the Volusia County line to the St. John’s County line – should be prepared to evacuate as early as Wednesday morning, the release stated.

Recommendations for preparation include:

• Make a plan — Talk to friends and family about how communicating before, during and after a potential storm will work. Have a primary, secondary and possibly a tertiary plan for where to go in the event of an evacuation. Consider staying with family or friends outside of the evacuation area in addition to hotels or motels.

• Build a kit — Gather supplies necessary to be “off-the-grid” for a week after a disaster for everyone in the home, the release stated. Don’t forget to consider the unique needs each person or pet may have. The kit should include food, water, medications, clothing, cash (as credit card/ATM machines may not work), radios, batteries, generators/fuel. Portability is key should evacuation be required.

• Protect property — Secure outdoor items that could take flight in a strong wind, including loose tree limbs. Prepare window and door protection, such as shutters, should they need to be installed.

• Stay informed: Sign up for Alert Flagler at flaglercounty.gov/alertflagler to receive timely emergency notifications.

FEMA is closing the temporary disaster recovery center at the Flagler County Fairgrounds Wednesday, Nov. 9, through Friday, Nov. 11, in preparation of Tropical Storm Nicole.

For information, visit flaglercounty.gov/emergency

11:01 a.m. | Volusia County Fair closed Tuesday and Wednesday

The Volusia County Fair and Youth Show is closed Tuesday and Wednesday due to Tropical Storm Nicole.

In a statement issued Monday evening, Ronnie Hull, general manager of the fair, wrote that they were sad to announce the closures in preparation of the storm.

"We are closely monitoring weather reports and although it is too early to determine exactly when the storm will arrive, it is never too early to prepare in case of an emergency," Hull wrote. "Our staff, midway and vendors will be busy securing the fairgrounds."

The only activity that will continue as planned is the market swine show on Tuesday at 6 p.m., but it will only be open to exhibitors and their parents.

The fair will make an announcement as to when it will be safe to reopen and when other shows will be rescheduled.

— Danielle Johnson

10:53 a.m. | Sandbags available in Palm Coast

Palm Coast will have a self-serve sandbag operation from 11 am. to 3:30 p.m. today at the Indian Trails Sports Complex, 5455 Belle Terre Parkway. There is a limit of 10 sandbags per vehicle.

Flagler County has sand and bags available at Bay Drive Park – 30 Bay Drive, The Hammock – from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today or until supplies last. People will be onsite and available to help, according to the county.

— Frank Fernandez

10:48 a.m. | Volusia County closures ahead of Tropical Storm Nicole

Beaches are closed and other closures and cancellations are taking place around Volusia County as officials prepare for Tropical Storm Nicole, according to county news releases.

All Volusia County beach parks and access points are closed until further notice. Coastal Division officials will remove cones and barricades to keep them from getting lost in high winds and waves, but people should avoid the coast.

"Residents and visitors are strongly discouraged from visiting the beach and entering the ocean," according to the county. "Once the tide is too high, rescue vehicles will not be able to access the beach."

Also, the county plans to temporarily close the disaster recovery center at the Florida Department of Health-Volusia, which was established because of Tropical Storm Ian, at 6 p.m. today until further notice. The center is at 1845 Holsonback Drive in Daytona Beach.

People can still apply for assistance without going to the disaster recovery center at disasterassistance.gov, through the FEMA mobile app or by calling 800-621-3362.

Some county meetings scheduled for this week have been canceled.

The informational meeting planned for Thursday for landlords who are renting or interested in renting to Section 8 participants has been canceled. Also, the Children and Families Advisory Board meeting scheduled for Thursday has been canceled. Both meetings will be rescheduled at some point.

For storm updates, people can go to volusia.org/pin or call the Volusia County Citizens Information Center until 5 p.m. today at 866-345-0345.

— Sheldon Gardner

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Tropical Storm Nicole updates: Volusia, Flagler cancellations