No fatalities for IRC after 4 tornadoes touched down Wednesday

This story will be continuously updated for Hurricane Milton coverage

Update Thursday Oct. 10, 2024

County officials described the tornado destruction for Indian River County as “one of the worst known tornado outbreaks in modern history for our area.” Emergency service officials said four confirmed tornadoes swooped down in the county, leaving two people with non-life threatening injuries.

“Yesterday was a historic and tragic day on the Treasure Coast. Sadly there was loss of life to one of our neighboring counties. Our thoughts and well wishes goes to the people who passed away and their loved ones,” said Ryan Lloyd, Deputy Director for the Indian River County Emergency Services Department. “We stand committed in assisting our partners in St. Lucie County as a regional work group.”

There were no reported fatalities as of Thursday for Indian River County as Hurricane Milton downgraded to a Category 1 storm and exited east into the Atlantic Ocean. The storm, carrying 80 mph maximum sustained winds, was traveling east northeast at 20 mph, according to an 11 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center.

A hurricane warning for Indian River County was lifted by 8 a.m. Thursday, while a tropical storm warning was lifted about 11 a.m. Meteorologists said they issued 126 tornado warnings statewide on Wednesday, with several of the advisories focused on Indian River County.

Lloyd said those injured from the tornadoes were taken to area hospitals. The director said more residents were taken to shelters after being displaced from their homes because of tornado damage.

A tornado left heavy damage in Central Beach, downing large trees into the roadways and toppling over signs. The Central Beach area extends from the Village Beach Market south to the Holy Cross Catholic Church.

“The roadways are impassable. Beachland Boulevard is still very much covered in trees. The entire area between Village Beach Market and Quail Valley along State Road A1A on both sides of the road has trees everywhere,” Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers said. “There’s very little room to get through. Florida Forestry has cut small paths.”

Video by Nick Samuel

First responders were conducting an ongoing, multiagency search and rescue on the barrier island for people who may be trapped inside their homes. Flowers said power was cut off in most areas on the barrier island.

“There was significant damage on our beachside community areas,” Lloyd said. “This was a major weather event.”

The agencies involved in search and rescue efforts are the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, Indian River Shores Public Safety Department, Vero Beach Police Department, Sebastian Police Department, Florida Forest Service, Florida Department of Transporation and the Army National Guard.

“Everyone was involved in that search and rescue last night,” Flowers said. “Everyone pulled together and did an amazing job.”

Flowers said deputies found some mobile homes with roofs ripped off and overturned RV trailers. First responders were conducting assessments on mobile home park communities, along with other properties.

On the mainland, the high winds knocked down railroad crossing arms and sprawled tree branches on the streets. The weather station at the Vero Beach Police Department recorded a 95-mph wind gust about 4 p.m. Wednesday, said Keslea Callahan, a spokesperson for the agency.

Lloyd said fire rescue was reviewing areas impacted by tornado gusts. The director said there were no major issues on the county’s major roadways.

David Johnson, director for the emergency services department, thanked residents for heeding the warnings from officials about Hurricane Milton.

“Getting inside…going to shelters…we had a great response from all of the citizens of the county. That’s how we saved many lives during the storm,” Johnson said. “This was an unprecedented storm…a monster…that caused tornadoes, heavy winds and could’ve caused a lot of lives lost if people did not heed the warning.”

The director thanked first responders for going above and beyond to search the rubble for residents and get them to shelters.

Hurricane Milton left millions of residents across Florida without power. The hurricane, and sprawling tornadoes, caused power outages for nearly 59,000 homes and businesses in Indian River County.

Nearly 30,000 county residents had their power restored by 2:30 p.m. Thursday, according to the Florida Power & Light Co. outage map. The map shows more than 28,000 people still without power.

“A lot of power outages are directly related to the locations where we had tornado activity,” Lloyd said. “FPL is working diligently on working to get power restored to the areas.”

Meteorologists said Vero Beach received 9.41 inches of rainfall within a 48-hour period from Hurricane Milton. Vero Beach had a peak wind gust of 84 mph overnight, said Scott Kelly, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Melbourne.

“Vero Beach got hammered with rain,” Kelly said. “The wind picked up in the evening and overnight.”

County Administrator John Titkanich said public works crews were mobilized to evaluate roads, bridges, traffic signals, along with flooding and draining concerns at county facilities. Titkanich said county officials were working with the Florida Department of Transporation to get the traffic lights back up and running.

County officials were working with a contractor to pick up debris. Titkanich said there were no main water breaks and that the water treatment plants were fully operational.

The administrator said natural resource employees will examine the county beaches for erosion damage. County officials closed the beaches, along with parks, on Tuesday ahead of Hurricane Milton.

The Merrill P. Barber and Alma Lee Loy bridges remained closed Thursday. The Wabasso Bridge was still open.

Flowers said residents who have power should still stay home except for essential travel. The sheriff said some areas in the county still have widespread flooding, downed power lines and debris, a danger for pedestrians and motorists.

“We encourage people to stay in their homes today,” Flowers said. “Please do not venture out if you don’t have to be out. Our helicopter is going up to assess conditions. We will also have our drone teams deployed in various areas.”

Flowers said some traffic signs are malfunctioning at certain intersections. Motorists should treat intersections without power as four-way stops.

County officials will continue to update residents on storm recovery through its social media channels. Flowers said those with storm-related questions should call the storm hotline at 772-226-4000.

Update Wednesday Oct. 9, 2024

The county’s top officials were working with state and national authorities to coordinate efforts to keep residents informed as Hurricane Milton approached Florida’s west coast. Indian River County Emergency Services fully activated the Emergency Operations Center to brace for damaging winds, heavy rainfall and storm surge from Hurricane Milton.

Video by Nick Samuel

Strong winds started to pass through Indian River County Wednesday afternoon. Most beachside businesses and restaurants along Ocean Drive put up hurricane shutters and boarded up doors and windows.

“We do not wish this storm on anybody. Please be prepared,” Emergency Services Deputy Director Ryan Lloyd said. “Later on this evening, we’ll have a potential for Category 1 hurricane storm winds. We are guaranteed to receive 45-to-55 mph sustained winds and gusts of 70-to-80 mph.”

Sheriff’s officials said Vero Beach received more than 6 inches of rainfall in two hours on Wednesday. Deputies said residents should stay off the roads, since many are now flooded and dangerous.

“If you have not reached your shelter destination, please do so immediately,” sheriff’s officials said in a Wednesday evening update.

Video by Nick Samuel

Indian River County was working with Florida Department of Health, Salvation Army, United Way, Florida Department of Emergency Management, the FBI, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Army National Guard, U.S. Coast Guard, Florida Power & Light Co. and more agencies in response efforts for Hurricane Milton. County Administrator John Titkanich said it takes a team effort to ensure residents are safe from the oncoming hurricane.

Milton slightly weakened to a Category 3 hurricane with 125 mph maximum sustained winds, according to the 4 p.m. update from the National Hurricane Center. The storm was churning northeast at 17 mph.

Meteorologists said Hurricane Milton was expected to impact Florida’s Gulf Coast near Tampa sometime Wednesday night. The storm will narrowly weaken and continue eastbound. The hurricane will exit off the east coast.

The bridges to the barrier island remained open Wednesday afternoon. Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers said the bridges will close once sustained winds reach 45 mph.

“That means our first responders are not going to be crossing those bridges once there is a sustained 45 mph wind gusts,” Flowers said.  “We’ll be alerting the public (when bridges are closed.)”

The sheriff said there’s no timeline on if bridges close. Flowers said if the bridges are shut down, the decision will likely be made overnight when winds increase.

“More than likely this will not impact any sort of travel,” Flowers said. “We don’t want people out looking around. There will be dangers. With the winds there will be downed power lines and downed trees. Our team will assess that and sometime tomorrow we will let you know when it’s safe to go back out.”

The School District of Indian River County opened five shelters for those seeking refuge from Hurricane Milton. Lloyd said the shelters have plenty of space for evacuees traveling from the west coast battered by Hurricane Helene two weeks ago.

“If you are from the west coast and looking for a place to stay, Indian River County welcomes you into our public shelters,” Lloyd said. “We are here to help you.”

Flowers said he appreciates residents staying calm as they made preparations for the storm. One person was spotted parasailing early Wednesday at Humiston Beach before powerful wind bands passed through Indian River County.

Video by Nick Samuel

The sheriff said deputies were stationed at the shelters, monitoring gas stations, shopping centers and traffic. First responders will continue to update the public regularly with information regarding Hurricane Milton.

Closings

Public schools will remain closed through Friday and tentatively reopen on Monday.

County offices and the health department closed on Wednesday. The Indian River County courthouse and sheriff’s administrative offices closed on Tuesday.

All five customer convenience centers closed on Wednesday. Garbage and recycling shut down Wednesday and Thursday, and will continue Friday and Saturday, according to county officials. All libraries closed on Tuesday.

Those who want information on if streets become flooded, or other questions related to Hurricane Milton should call the storm hotline at 772-226-4000.

Earlier story:

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — County beaches and parks will close Tuesday evening as officials anticipate heavy winds and possible erosion from Hurricane Milton, which was upgraded Monday to a powerful Category 5 hurricane. County officials said the fields at South County Park, or Dick Bird Park, will close immediately on Monday because of flooding caused by heavy rainfall over the past few days.

“Programs for Dick Bird Park today going all the way through Thursday are closed,” Titkanich said.

Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers, County Administrator John Titkanich and Department of Emergency Services Deputy Director Ryan Lloyd gave an update Monday on the county’s response to the oncoming hurricane. Meteorologists said Milton was expected to weaken to a Category 3 before making landfall Wednesday evening on Florida’s Gulf Coast somewhere near Tampa.

Milton was expected to bring 25-to-35 mph winds with gusts up to 55 mph for Indian River County. Meteorologists issued a hurricane watch Monday night for Indian River County. The watch remains in effect until further notice.

The Emergency Operations Center operated under a level two – partial activation status – as of Monday for Hurricane Milton.

Video by Nick Samuel

Titkanich said the parks will close starting at 6 p.m. Tuesday and will remain closed until Friday once they are assessed. The county beaches will close beginning about 7 p.m.

“They will remain closed until we have an opportunity to go out and address and evaluate what erosion or other issues may be happening to make sure they’re safe for people,” Titkanich said. “The Round Island, Riverside and Wabasso Causeway boat ramps will remain open for now until boats can be removed.”

Milton was carrying 180-mph maximum sustained winds and traveling east at 10 mph, according to an evening update from the National Hurricane Center. Titkanich said county’s natural resources division was expecting to see sea coastal erosion from Hurricane Milton.

“They’ve been documenting the existing conditions already,” Titkanich said. “They will get out there Friday to assess and determine what the conditions are to make sure residents are safe.”

School campuses and School District buildings will close on Tuesday and were expected to reopen Friday. Indian River State College campuses closed at 5 p.m. Monday and will also reopen Friday.

The Sebastian Veteran’s Services Office will close at noon Tuesday through Friday. The Brackett Library will close Tuesday through Thursday.

A decision has not yet been made on if government offices or bridges will also be shut down. Todd Scher, director for the Vero Beach Regional Airport, said the airport does not have a closure planned.

“Our standard procedure is to close if the sustained winds exceed 50 mph, which is currently not expected,” Scher said.

Indian River County will not be giving out sandbags, sheriff’s officials said.

County and sheriff’s officials reminded residents to be prepared for Hurricane Milton. Lloyd said higher level winds could lead to power outages in Indian River County.

Lloyd also spoke about generator safety.

“Do not use generators indoors or inside your garage. Do not back feed them directly into your homes,” Lloyd said. “If you’re going to refuel, make sure the generator has adequately cooled off before you start adding the new fuel to the tank.”

Flowers urged residents to stay calm while making preparations.

“While we’re asking you to prepare, we’re not asking you to panic. As you’re out there in the community, please take your time and be kind to each other,” Flowers said. “There’s plenty of gas. There’s plenty of supplies. We will make sure that everyone is safe while you’re out there. Take care of each other. Let’s get together and be prepared for this as one unified Indian River County.”

Video by Nick Samuel

Flowers said residents can download the Indian River County sheriff’s app and the county’s Aware and Prepare app for updates on the hurricane. Those who experience power outages can call Florida Power & Light Co. at 1-800-4-OUTAGE.

Residents who want updated information about Hurricane Milton and its impact on Indian River County should call the storm hotline at 772-226-4000. More information on the county’s response to the hurricane can be found on its website.

Photos by Joshua Kodis

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