Volusia County officials: Stay home 'unless absolutely necessary' following Tropical Storm Ian

Volusia County officials again urged residents to stay put and not leave their homes “unless absolutely necessary” during a press conference at the Emergency Operations Center Friday afternoon.

“The recovery and healing process for this storm is underway,” Kevin Captain, the county’s community information director, said. “However, just because the storm has moved on, the danger has not … The destruction left by (Tropical Storm) Ian is indescribable.”

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“Roads, businesses and even our iconic Speedway are all under water,” Captain said. “At this time, we do not have a start date for our debris removal, as the damage assessment is ongoing.”

Debris piles should be separated between vegetation (leaves, tree branches) and building material (such as carpets, furniture, fences, drywall).

As of 1 p.m. Friday afternoon, about 184,000 customers remained without power in the county, he said.

“Surely, this is a large number. But in looking at the positive side of things, it is a significant decrease from yesterday, when almost 250,000 were without power,” Captain said.

Out-of-state utility crews have been mobilized in the efforts to restore power in the area.

'Over 600 calls'

Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood encouraged residents to reflect on the “historic” and “catastrophic event we faced here.”

“We lost three lives during this event,” he said. “And we have untold numbers who have had catastrophic loses of their properties – not to mention what is going on with our friends and neighbors in the southwest part of the state.”

Chitwood said New Smyrna Beach saw 15.5 inches of rain from the storm yesterday – 13 in DeLand, 11.5 in Edgewater, 11 in Lake Helen and Debary, and more than 10 inches in Daytona Beach.

“When you factor that in, plus the over 600 calls to our dispatch center for people to be evacuated, I could not be prouder to be part of the team we have here,” he said.

Chitwood said the county received state assistance with five high-water vehicles used in the rescue operations yesterday. There are currently no calls pending for flooding evacuations, Chitwood added.

Daytona Beach-area shelters

Shelters in the county have housed more than 400 people as of Friday morning. All shelter locations, Captain said, will close at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

Emergency Management Director Jim Judge said staff from the county’s school district and health department helping people at the shelters.

The Ocean Center at 101 N Atlantic Ave. in Daytona Beach will be the “main evacuation point and sheltering location for Volusia County” beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

The two special needs shelters are at Atlantic High School and Galaxy Middle School, and the two general population shelters are at Mainland High School and DeLand High School.

Volusia Schools staff are currently surveying sites to determine schools’ accessibility and to have a date for reopening “as expeditiously as possible.”

“We are going to make sure we are going to open schools safely for our parents, students and staff,” said Earl Johnson Jr., chief operating officer for the county school district.

Beaches and animal shelter rescue

Beach Safety Deputy Chief Tammy Malphurs said beach conditions “remain incredibly hazardous.”

“Double red flags are currently flying and we expect to fly them for the next few days,” Malphurs said. “In addition to the waves, debris may be in the ocean or on shore, which will cause bodily harm. There are many beach walkovers, sea walls and sea dunes that have been damaged by the storm. Please stay off of these.”

Captain closed with news that an Edgewater animal shelter received help from the county’s animal services division and other local partners to rescue 90 animals (cats and dogs) during Thursday's storm.

“It’s going to take a lot of people to restore our beautiful community,” Captain said.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Volusia officials urge residents to stay home 'unless absolutely necessary'