Late this afternoon, as winds began picking up and lines stretched at gas stations, St. Johns County declared an evacuation order at 6am tomorrow morning for coastal St. Johns. That order includes Marsh Creek.
While it is not mandatory, bear in mind that authorities tend to close the SR 312 bridge once winds reach above 35 mph, effectively preventing an escape route over to the mainland in the event of illness or injury. Leave or stay, (and many will stay since the threat is a tropical storm and not a hurricane), make sure you have buttoned up your property to keep items on your patio from becoming flying projectiles.
St. Johns County Issues Evacuation Orders for Zones A, B, and Part of F
Due to intensified conditions of Hurricane Ian, St. Johns County has issued evacuation orders effective at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 28, for Zones A and B, which includes the entire City of St. Augustine, the City of St. Augustine Beach, and those living on waterfront property or flood-prone areas. In addition, the County is also evacuating part of Zone F for residents south of County Road 214.
Around 2 pm tomorrow (Wednesday), Hurricane Ian is expected to make landfall in Florida as a major hurricane north of Cape Coral, and begin to lose some of its wind force but retain its threat to inundate central and north Florida with rains and a massive storm surge. As you can see from the map below, once the center of the storm passes over Palm Coast, it will move northward just offshore, picking up energy over the warm Atlantic waters, and will rake St. Augustine Beach, Vilano and Ponte Vedra with high winds and a dangerous storm surge.
For us here in Marsh Creek, the most dangerous threat will be the storm surge coming off the Intracoastal, as Ian pushes those waters into the marsh and onto marsh-front properties.
Storm surge along the coast and Intracoastal Waterway will join heavy rains to increase the threat of flooding.
There will be significant flash flooding throughout a swath of central and north Florida.
Tropical storm winds will be a threat throughout the next few days, peaking around 60 mph with the potential for occasional hurricane force gusts.
CLICK HERE for the Spoonbill Courier Hurricane Season Preparations page.
